During its session which was chaired by the President His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Sayid Tantawi , the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar on the 10 of October 2000 , the presidential body of the I.I.C.D.R. discussed the report submitted by H.E. Dr. Hamid bin Ahmad Al-Rifaie , President of the International Islamic Committee for Dialogue about the statements made by Cardinal Bevy , the Archbishop of Poland and other officials of the Catholic Church in Italy and the Vatican against Muslim . Among other things , the statement demanded the building of Churches in Saudi Arabia and leveled accusations and stinging falsifications both the Islamic values and Muslims .

For example , in his statement published by the "Librio" daily , Cardinal Bevy described Muslims as ruthless by saying : "I feel I am a stranger to this merciless humanity" and went on to demand the harassment of Muslims : "We are not obliged to offer positive cooperation so as to enable them practice their rituals" .

In fact the Cardinal went on to demand the expulsion of Muslims from Europe , in utter contradiction to the Catholic Church's declarations in favour of tolerance and safe co-existence among the followers of religions , and in sever conflict with the methodology and manners of dialogue agreed upon between the Muslims and the Catholic Church represented by the Vatican , and completely at variance with texts of the documents of the Second Ecumenical Council which says : "The Church also views with appreciation to the Muslims who worship The only one God , the living , the self-subsisting , the beneficent and the omnipotent - the Creator of the heavens and the earth " . It is also at variance with the Second Ecumenical Council's call to both Muslims and the Christians to : "Protect and support together for the sake of all peoples , social justice , spiritual values , peace and freedom" .

After deliberations concerning the gravity of the statements made by Cardinal Bevy and others as well as the discord they are bound to cause to the detriment of all parties concerned , the presidential body adopted the following resolutions :

1- Condemning and denouncing those statements which are hostile to Islamic values which are prone to incite a violent strife that could harm everybody , taking into consideration the presence of Muslims in Italy .

2- Calling upon H.E. The Pope of the Catholic church - in his habitual wisdom - to take the initiative of addressing the issue in a manner that will put an end to such provocative as irresponsible statements which are made at the same time when Israel is provoking the Muslim sentiments in Palestine .

3- Emphasizing decisively that , the Arabian Peninsula and its epicenter , the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the geographical citadel of the Islamic faith . No tow religions shall exist therein , and no religion , other than Islam shall be proclaimed within its territories . The Presidential body also condemns the demand once again that Churches be built in Saudi Arabia , when this issue has been settled decisively following a lengthy discussion with the Vatican through the International Islamic Committee For Dialogue .

4- The Presidential body has asked the International Islamic Committee for Dialogue to monitor such statements , and to strive to address their motivations and hostile contexts with the Vatican and other concerned parties in the Catholic Church .