AMMAN , Jordan ( CNN ) -- For more than 20 years , Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger , then the Vatican 's top doctrinal czar , was the intellectual architect of the papacy of John Paul II . Pope Benedict XVI and Jordanian Prince Ghazi Bin Talal leave the King Hussein mosque in Amman on Saturday . Thus , when Ratzinger was elected to succeed John Paul as Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005 , it was widely seen as a vote for continuity with the late pontiff 's policies . Four years later , there 's only one strong substantive difference between the two popes , and it 's on display this week as Benedict XVI visits Jordan , Israel and the Palestinian territories : their approaches to Islam . With 1.1 billion Roman Catholics and 1.6 billion Muslims in the world , representing about 40 percent of the world 's population , it 's a difference that matters . While John Paul II was a bridge-builder , Benedict is determined to walk across those bridges , pushing Islam toward a rejection of extremism and an acceptance of religious freedom -- toward an integration of reason and faith . It 's an approach that puts its finger on critically important concerns , but one also fraught with potential for conflict . In general , John Paul II was a great pioneer of Catholic-Muslim relations . He met with Muslims more than 60 times over the course of his almost 27-year pontificate , and in 2001 he became the first pope ever to enter an Islamic mosque : the Grand Umayyad Mosque in Damascus , Syria . John Paul 's opposition to the two U.S.-led Gulf Wars and his broad sympathy for the Palestinians was also appreciated by many Muslims . Like John Paul , Benedict XVI sees himself as a friend of Islam . Friday in Amman , Jordan , on the first day of his weeklong swing through the Middle East , Benedict reaffirmed his `` deep respect for Muslims . '' His broad vision is what he calls growing `` intercultural dialogue '' between Muslims and Christians , which implies an alliance against forms of secularism in the West that the pope regards as hostile to religion . The fact that Benedict XVI has chosen to begin his tour by spending three days in Jordan , which the Vatican has long regarded as a model of Muslim-Christian co-existence , suggests the emphasis he places on Islam . When John Paul came in 2000 , he spent just 24 hours here . Watch a walk through Amman for everday Jordanians ' reactions to the visit » . Among other things , Benedict hopes Christians and Muslims will join forces in defense of shared values such as the sanctity of human life and the family , which can translate into political efforts in opposition to abortion and homosexuality . The precedent was set in the mid-1990s , when the Vatican and a bloc of Muslim nations resisted efforts at U.N.-sponsored conferences in Beijing and Cairo to recognize a right to abortion as part of international law . Yet the price of admission to that partnership , Benedict XVI believes , is a reform within Islam that would move it in the direction of a greater capacity for pluralism , including the rights of religious minorities , especially Christians , within Islamic societies . Saturday , for example , Benedict visited the King Hussein mosque in Amman , telling his Muslim hosts that religious freedom `` includes the right , especially of minorities , to fair access to the employment market and other spheres of civic life . '' Benedict also argued that much tension between Christians and Muslims is the result of `` ideological manipulation of religion , sometimes for political ends , '' and pointed to what he called `` the fundamental contradiction of resorting to violence or exclusion in the name of God . '' To date , Benedict XVI 's efforts to convince Muslims that he 's advancing these arguments as a friend , from a shared space of common religious concern , have brought mixed results . His famous September 2006 speech in Regensburg , Germany , in which he cited a Byzantine emperor linking Islam to violence , set off wide protests across the Islamic world . Here in Jordan , some leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood have turned a cold shoulder to the pope 's visit , insisting that he must apologize anew for the Regensburg address . In effect , one core aim of Benedict XVI 's journey this week is to re-introduce himself to the Muslim world , clearing away the debris from what he conceded this morning is `` the burden of our common history . '' The drama is whether this 82-year-old pontiff , who has sometimes had his problems with public relations , is able to pull it off . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer .
Pope Benedict XVI in Middle East , courting Muslims , urging religious freedom . Allen : Pope hopes Christians and Muslims will join forces to defend shared values . Allen : Price for alliance is a `` greater capacity for pluralism '' within Islam . " Comment: The pope has been very vocal about the need for peace between Israel and Palestine Pope 's relations with Muslims have been rocky : Can he pull it off ?