The Archbishop Is Waiting, Imam

For someone who says he is committed to interfaith dialogue and healing the 9/11 breach, the imam of the planned Ground Zero mosque has some strange entanglements and even stranger priorities.

Feisal Abdul Rauf is being charged by New Jersey officials with being a slumlord, and he surrounds himself with unsavory characters, from tax scofflaws to wing nuts who claim 9/11 was an "inside job." Yet he hasn't found a single minute to meet with Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

The most important Catholic leader in the region, Dolan said he could be available to help resolve the dispute a month ago, but never got the simple courtesy of a response from Rauf. Perhaps that's because Dolan, who met with Gov. Paterson, cited as a relevant comparison Pope John Paul II's decision to move a Carmelite convent away from Auschwitz after Jewish groups complained.

Still, Dolan continues his quest to bring civility to the mosque mess. Two archdiocese priests attended Rauf's appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday to offer Rauf greetings on the end of Ramadan; the imam was said to respond by sending his greetings to Dolan.

Let's hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship.

Michael Goodwin is a New York Post columnist and Fox News contributor. To continue reading his complete column, click here.

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