[1] The position remained popular in Christian circles well into the 20th century, with Hilaire Belloc terming it "the great and enduring heresy of Mohammed.
This translation was made at the behest of Peter the Venerable, while he was at the Benedictine Cluny Abbey in France, as part of a project to refute its teachings and aid in the conversion of Muslims to Catholic Christianity.
In the 20th century the attitude of the Catholic Church started to change in the aftermath of World War II and there was a stronger interest in exchange and dialogue.
[3] The International Meetings at the monastery of Toumliline, held between 1956 and 1964, provided a platform for intellectuals as well as Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars to speak about contemporary issues as well as about faith.
[4] At the same time, the AIM (Aid for Implementation of Monasticism) under Benedictine Cornelius Thomsen promoted the interaction of their monks with people of all races and religions and thus opening ways of dialogue.
Due to the ongoing Arab–Israeli conflict, the document garnered the political attention of several Arab, majority Muslim countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.
Pope Paul VI referred to Muslims in August 1964 as "worshippers of the One God" who should be admired "for all that is good and true" in their worship,[8] and chose to follow the path recommended by Maximos IV.