Pope Benedict said Catholics should manifest their beliefs with the same conviction as Muslims, who "are attached with great seriousness to their convictions and their religious rites."
The pope, who will travel to mainly Muslim Turkey at the end of the month, said Muslims "have the right to our firm and humble witness for Jesus Christ."
Such dialogue "obviously presupposes a solid knowledge of one's own faith," he added.
Pope Benedict is to pay a four-day visit to Turkey, his first official trip to a Muslim country, starting on November 28.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2006