Muslim police chaplain among interfaith leaders to meet Pope Francis in UST

MANILA, Philippines—A Muslim leader who also heads the Philippine National Police spiritual ministry is among the 10 religious leaders who will meet with Pope Francis in the University of Santo Tomas for an interfaith dialogue.

“The pope has been to Istanbul and he prayed inside a mosque, which indicated his advocacy ‎in universal peace, and meeting him is an opportunity and a blessing,” Superintendent Ebra Moxsir, chief of the spiritual ministry division of the PNP Chaplain Service, said in an interview.

“The theme of the pope’s visit is mercy and compassion, which is also the principle of Islam. It’s customary for us to say the Arabic term ‘Bismillah,’ which means ‘in the name of Allah, God is most compassionate, most gracious and most merciful,’” Moxsir said.

The president of the Imam Council of the Philippines said he was surprised when he received the invitation from the office of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on December 8, 2014. Along with another Muslim leader, Moxsir will represent about 12 million Muslims in the Philippines in the interfaith meeting.

“Maybe one factor is my works with other religions, especially with the Catholics,” Moxsir said.

As a chaplain in the PNP, Moxsir said his encounter with the pope will benefit the 150,000-strong police force.

“This is an advantage for the PNP. I hope the PNP will be transformed and that we will learn a lesson in terms of our spiritual lives,” he said.

Moxsir entered the PNP in 1996 and had represented Islam in a police organization.

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