Al-Azhar has expressed a desire to "re-establish friendly ties of mutual respect and appreciation" with the Vatican in the wake of the pope's resignation.
Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday he would step down at the end of the month due to health concerns — making him the first pontiff to resign in almost 600 years.
In 2011, Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb froze relations with the Roman Catholic Church in response to remarks made by the pope that the institution deemed offensive.
Following the January 2011 Two Saints Church bombing in Alexandria, Benedict had warned of violence targeting Christians and called on the European Union to adopt measures protecting religious minorities in the Middle East.
At the age of 78, Benedict XVI was elected pontiff in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II. His former title was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
Edited translation from MENA
