On April 17, 2008, during the inter-faith meeting he promoted in Washington at the John Paul II Cultural Center, Benedict received an ornate silver-plated copy of part of the Koran with a mother-of-pearl inlay. It contained calligraphic verses from the Mohammedan book.

The gift, which has an indisputable symbolic meaning, was received with all possible complacency by Pope Ratzinger.

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