In the name of Allah, the merciful and compassionate God, we pray. Amen. : Catholic World News

The Washington Post has the details. It was at
Catholic University of America a reception for His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein of Jordan.

In English it is incorrect to say that "Allah" and "God" are identical. For people who know they are not identical it is bad faith on their part to insist on an identity which does not exist when misunderstanding is foreseeable (or even intended).

What we share with Muslims is significant but not enough to have a common understanding of what is meant by "God/Allah's blessing", "God/Allah's peace", etc. Because starting with God's nature, we disease: Peace as "order+freedom" or as "submission".

Muslims view our understanding of God to be a blasphemy. A devout Muslim would have his tongue torn out rather than to invoke the Holy Trinity in prayer at a Muslim university in Pakistan or Algeria.

What do we believe?

CCC 841 The Church's relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day." (quoting Lumen Gentium 16)

I wish Cardinal McCarrick had read Jimmy Akin's article in This Rock before he gave that prayer.

Cardinal McCarrick could have made the reference to "God" and not risked a misunderstanding.

What misunderstanding? That Muslims worshipping God as instructed by Mohammed have a means of salvation. Muslims can and are saved but they are saved by Jesus and not by their obedience to the Koran.

In terms of explaining this to other Catholics I would go beyond saying that Muslim doctrine is lacking elements of the truth (i.e. incomplete) but it contains with certainty errors which cannot reconciled to the truth. To conform ones life to the Koran as interpreted by the most radical Islamists is a stumbling block to salvation.

What could be next? To have a bishop invoke a prayer to the Goddess Gaia?