APOSTOLIC VOYAGE TO TURKEY

Pope reflects on trip to Turkey

Dec. 6, 2006 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI devoted his general audience on December 6 to a report on his visit to Turkey, saying that he saw the voyage as a mission first to Catholics, then to other Christians, and finally to the world at large.

The Pope disclosed that the most memorable moment of his trip-- his silent prayer at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul-- was an unplanned event. He did not recite any particular prayer, he said, but offered a spontaneous meditation “to the one Lord of heaven and earth.”

The Holy Father explained his approach by describing the trip in terms of three concentric circles. In the inner circle, he said, “Peter’s successor confirms Catholics in the faith. In the intermediate circle he meets other Christians. And in the outer circle he addresses non-Christians and humanity entire."

The visit to Turkey was important, the Pope said, because that country “is emblematic of the great challenge facing the world today.” That challenge, he continued, is the search for a proper balance: ensuring religious freedom for all people while “repudiating all forms of violence and not degenerating into fundamentalism."

The Pope continued to emphasize the importance of religious freedom-- a subject on which he had pressed Turkish political leaders before and during his visit. Regarding relations with Islam, he said that it is imperative for Christians and Muslims to “commit themselves jointly to the cause of life, peace, and justice.”

During his visit to the Blue Mosque, when the Grand Mufti of Istanbul intoned a prayer, the Pope told his audience that he made “an unplanned gesture-- but one that revealed itself as particularly significant.” His silent prayer, he indicated, was a testimony to the potential for inter-religious dialogue: a message to the outermost circle that he had described.

The “intermediate circle” was the main focus of the trip, the Pope reminded his audience, emphasizing the importance of his meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew I, and their “mutual commitment to continue along the path toward the re-establishment of full communion.”

The “innermost circle” was represented by the Pope’s meetings with Turkey’s tiny Catholic community, for whom he celebrated Mass twice during his stay. He recalled that “in a climate of peace, we prayed for peace-- in the Holy Land and in the whole world.”

The Wednesday audience was divided into two sections. First the Pontiff met in the Vatican basilica with pilgrims from Italy’s Lazio region, accompanied by their bishops, who are completing their ad limina visit to Rome. Then Pope Benedict moved to the Paul VI auditorium, where he met with about 15,000 people.

Turkey shuns "fundamentalist degeneration": Pope

By Phil Stewart Wed Dec 6, 10:09 AM ET

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -
Pope Benedict, speaking after a landmark trip to Turkey, described the country on Wednesday as an example of a secular Muslim state able to shun "fundamentalist degeneration."


In remarks at his weekly general audience, he also expressed hope that Turkey could become a "bridge of friendship and brotherly cooperation between the West and East."

The Pope said that since Turkey was predominantly Muslim but regulated by a secular constitution it was "emblematic" of the challenge facing states trying to balance religious expression and the needs of civil society.

He held up Turkey as an example of how a country can "guarantee that the expression of such a faith be free, without fundamentalist degeneration, and capable of firmly repudiating every form of violence."

The Pope's trip last week seems to have persuaded many Turks to move beyond the tensions caused by a speech last September in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor calling Islam violent. The speech infuriated Muslims around the world.

During the visit he called Islam a peaceful faith and on Wednesday he expressed hope that Christians and Muslims could work together "for life, peace and justice."

Benedict became the second Roman Catholic Pontiff to visit a mosque when he stopped to pray at Istanbul's Blue Mosque.

"Pausing for a few minutes being received in this place of prayer, I addressed the one Lord of heaven and earth, father of mercy for all humanity," he said.

During the trip, he did an about-face and voiced support for Ankara's bid to join the
European Union. Before being elected Pope in April 2005, he had opposed Turkey's entry.

[Modificato da Maklara 06/12/2006 22.38]

The Pope's U-turns

SAHIN ALPAY

Dr. Rainer Hermann, the Istanbul-based Middle Eastern representative of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a prominent newspaper in Germany, is a very valuable colleague and friend of mine. After the pope’s visit to Turkey ended successfully, he sounded excited when he was called on the phone: “Didn’t I tell you Pope Benedict XVI would be different from Cardinal Ratzinger?” Yes, he had said it, but actually we only became aware of this difference after the pope came to Turkey. Or as Cemal Ussak said to Nuriye Akman, “Cardinal Ratzinger became a pope in Turkey.”

It is certain that the pope made two noteworthy U-turns during his visit to Turkey. While Cardinal Ratzinger said there was no room for Turkey in Europe, Benedict XVI said “we want to see Turkey in the EU” as soon he stepped on Turkish soil. Equating Islam with violence and stating that the belief of Islam is not compatible with reason in the speech he made at Germany’s Regenburg University on Sept. 12, Benedict said on Nov. 28, his first day in Turkey that “Islam is a religion of peace. Its essence has been kneaded with intelligence and science.” The pope did not stop there; he spoke words of affection for the Turkish nation, and he made gestures of respect toward the Islamic religion. He was careful to avoid words and behavior that would distress his hosts. Upon leaving Turkey, he said that he was leaving part of his heart in Istanbul. Why?

We can list the reasons as follows: As the leader of an important segment of the Christian world, the pope may have grasped his responsibility, even if a bit late, to establish an alliance between the large level-headed majorities in the Islamic and Christian worlds against enmity, violence and barbarism. Due to the words he expressed against Turkey and Islamic belief, the door he opened to reaction and criticism among Europeans, as much as in Turkey and the Islamic world, may have helped him to remember this responsibility.

Regardless of the motives, the pope’s positive U-turns are pleasing. There is no greater virtue than turning away from one’s mistakes. Another matter at least as pleasing as these is that by means of this visit, both the pope and many other foreigners realized that Turkey is a more civilized country than they thought. Due to behavior based on discernment on the part of both the guest and the host, the pope’s visit to Turkey proved the fears of some people to be false. From the perspective of the image that was given to the world, it turned into an event where both parties came out on top.

The signs the pope gave Turkey makes one think he can make another U-turn. Pope Benedict XVI, just like his predecessor Pope John Paul II, might feel the need for cooperation with followers of other religions against secularization in European societies. Since he forewent opposing Turkey’s membership in the European Union on the basis that it would destroy its quality of being a “Christian Club,” he might support strengthening the European Union’s being a “secular club” where all beliefs are equally respected.

The pope did not neglect to underscore in Istanbul that “religious freedom is one of the foundation stones of man’s freedom.” It is obvious that he implied a wish for Christians in Turkey to have at least as broad a religious freedom as do Muslims in Europe. This wish is undoubtedly a necessity of secularism. Unfortunately, in spite of all its claims to “secularism,” Turkey only managed to secure secularism in the laws; it was not able to implement secularism in the sense of the state remaining at the same distance from all different beliefs.

One of the latest indications of this is President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s vetoing the new Foundations Bill, which would facilitate non-Muslim foundations to own property and which was approved by the Turkish parliament, on the grounds that some articles are contrary to “the Lausanne Agreement, national interests and the Constitution.” Doesn’t the claim of having attained contemporary civilization demand that the state avoid religion-based discrimination as much as does the basic principle in the constitution to the effect that Turkey is a secular state of law?

World Sees Religious Tolerance in Turkey

By Anadolu News Agency (aa), Ankara
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
zaman.com

Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate Head Professor Ali Bardakoglu said time will show how Pope Benedict XVI’s Turkey visit will affect adherents of dialogue between different religious group and cultures.

Bardakoglu said the pontiff’s visit, largely covered by the world media, was positive in terms of Turkey’s hospitality, image and for its Religious Affairs Ministry.

Stating the Ottoman understanding of tolerance was based on the view that everyone can worship in their own temple, Bardakoglu said “Let everyone worship the way they want; this should be respected by all.”

Bardakoglu emphasized the visit had also contributed in showing Turkey’s richness to the world.

While the meeting of religious leaders from different religions does not mean they approve each other’s opinions and behaviors, Bardakoglu said coming together and giving common messages for the sake of solving problems was important in terms of showing the constructive contribution of religion.

My target was ideas, not people

Bardakoglu stressed that he referred to opinions, not to people or associations in his address to the press during the pontiff’s visit to Turkey. “We criticize remarks or behaviors that we do not approve. Whoever made this mistake is indirectly referred to by this criticism. We do not aim at a person or a religion’s adherent directly in our speeches. Our speech criticized wrongdoings and pointed out their possible negative results.”

Emphasizing the Turkish society was religious, respectful toward national and spiritual values and libertarian, Bardakoglu said the secular and democratic structure was welcomed by the whole society and Turkey still retained its tolerance.

Bardakoglu stated as the Religious Affairs Directorate, they supported freedom of religion but this freedom must be for everyone everywhere and said, “What we mean by freedom of religion is not only that of Turkey’s Christians and other religious minorities but it is that of religious minorities all over the world.”

Stating everybody has recently attributed a meaning to the concept of dialogue as they wished and the word had been worn out, Bardakoglu said the concept should be used not as a “dialogue between religions” but as “dialogue between adherents of different religions.”

Bardakoglu stated respecting others’ faith, values and identity would be sufficient to establish good relationships between different religions. Referring to the pope’s moment of silence at the Blue Mosque, press members asked Bardakoglu if he would cross himself if he were in a similar situation. “It would be wrong to expect a person to worship in one particular way, for example an imam to cross himself and pray in front of the Virgin Mary at a church, or a priest to prostrate, in order to establish good dialogue. Everyone should worship in his or her own temple.”

Turks debate whether an imam can revere the cross

Turkish Daily News
Mustafa Akyol
Thursday, December 7, 2006



The visit by Pope Benedict XVI has sparked a new debate in Turkey about the rightful limits of religious ecumenism. The Turkish media have been discussing whether a Muslim cleric can revere Christian symbols like the sign of the cross, and whether it is really necessary to be so accommodating in order to establish genuine religious tolerance and dialogue.

The pope, of course, made a significant contribution to inter-faith peace with his highly symbolic visit to the Blue Mosque during his stay in Istanbul. Although some nationalist commentators are still suspicious about "his real motive", his kindness is widely appreciated in the Turkish media. Yet the new debate is not on the pope's outreach but on exactly how Muslim religious figures should move in the same direction.

In a way, it was Tempo, the popular Turkish weekly news magazine, which sparked the debate the week before the pope's arrival with its staged cover photo: Pope Benedict was posing with Dr. Ali Bardakoglu, the head of the Religious Affairs Directorate, standing side by side in their respective Catholic and Muslim garments. However, the photo had a twist: The pope was reading a copy of the Koran and the Muslim cleric was holding a cross.

As a response, the Religious Affairs Directorate issued a declaration on Nov. 23 that emphasized the importance of dialogue between religions "in a spirit of respect and tolerance" but warned against going too far in the ecumenical spirit. The declaration specifically addressed Tempo's controversial cover and noted: "The placing of a symbol of another religion into the hand of Dr. Ali Bardakoglu instead of the rose he really held does not represent the spirit of religions and their search for truth. It is, indeed, an example of unethical and unsettling mode of publishing."

The declaration also added that the photo was "met with disappointment" by the Religious Affairs Directorate.

After the pope's visit, Bardakoglu appeared on the Turkish news station NTV and addressed the same issue. "Inter-faith dialogue does not mean that religions can be united by leaving parts of their doctrines out", Bardakoglu said. "Inter-faith dialogue is meaningful only when religious traditions are loyal to their sources but come together to understand each other and find solutions to the world's common problems."

It seems that what the Religious Affairs Directorate objects to is the "anything-goes" mentality that blurs the difference between tolerance among religions and the utilitarian project of merging them. Western Christians could agree with the directorate on that. Father Richard Neuhaus, a prominent Catholic theologian, once put it well. "Tolerance is not indifference to differences as if differences make no difference," said Neuhaus, adding, "It is rather the respect to differences in a bond of civility."

Ertugrul Özkök, editor in chief and columnist of the mainstream Hürriyet, entered the debate with his op-ed titled "Can Bardakoglu make the sign of the cross?"(we have this article in this thread, too) He criticized Bardakoglu and other religious figures in Turkey for not taking the step that the pope has taken. "Can our religious authorities do what the pope has done?" Özkök asked, adding, "Can they make the sign of the cross or pray in the face of a portrait of Jesus?"

However, Özkök missed the point: Praying to Jesus or making the sign of the cross implies the Trinitarian concept of God, which Muslims, like Jews, find simply blasphemous. Islam deeply respects Jesus Christ as a prophet but denounces the doctrine of the Trinity, which defines him as "God the Son". According to the Islamic faith, God alone is worthy of prayer and worship, and all humans, including Jesus and Mohammed, are his servants.

Yet Özkök seems to have grasped another important point in his column: He pointed to those Islamists who were unhappy not only with the ultra-ecumenism of Tempo but also with the more orthodox Muslim attitude of tolerance towards Christians. Özkök quoted the words of Dr. Hüseyin Hatemi, a widely revered Islamic scholar and a columnist for the Islamic daily Yeni Safak, who complained about his less tolerant co-religionists, who have criticized him quite harshly for being soft on the pope.

In his column titled "The lack of quality" -- of those intolerant Muslims -- Hatemi brought to mind the Koranic verse that referred to Christians "as those who are closest to Muslims in love." Moreover, he boldly proclaimed that after the Resurrection, instead of joining those hate-filled radical Muslims, he would rather be with "those Christians whose hearts are filled with the love of Jesus and Mary."

To share that love -- or, to use a better term, agape -- and how to express that within the Muslim tradition seems to be the next step now in Turkey's novitiate but promising effort in inter-faith dialogue.

Papal Trip "Has Borne Fruit in All Directions"
Interview With Vatican Spokesman Father F. Lombardi

ISTANBUL, Turkey, DEC. 6, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's historic trip to Turkey brought better results than many people expected, says a Vatican spokesman.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, evaluated the four-day visit on Vatican Radio last Friday, the last day of the trip. This is an adapted translation of that interview.

What is your global assessment of this trip?
Obviously it is an extremely positive evaluation - an evaluation that is certainly higher than the expectations could have been, probably on the part of the Pope himself and his collaborators.

I recall that also in the past, when there were especially compromising trips, let's also say, "difficult." ... For John Paul II, the courage of the Pope was always seen, who faced them with great determination and faith, always obtaining extraordinarily higher results than could be imagined.

I think the same thing has happened now with Benedict XVI. This is very beautiful and encouraging, because it means that the faith and courage of the Popes is also rewarded when facing situations of uncertainty.

An extremely positive evaluation in all aspects, therefore, both in the relationship with the Turkish people and the Turkish state, as well as in the relationship with the Muslim religion, ecumenical relations with the other Christian confessions and, finally, the encouragement for the local Catholic community.

Let's try to reflect on this trip describing it in images. Certainly indelible among these is the Pope's recollection in meditation at the Blue Mosque, a gesture that has made a great impression.
I'd say yes. That, in fact, was the moment that attracted most attention and, in a certain sense, it is also the one that was, perhaps, the most novel and unexpected as regards a few weeks ago.

It seems to me that, thinking also on what occurred in previous months -- the discussions or reactions following the misunderstandings on the Regensburg address -- the visit to the mosque and the subsequent moment of recollection constituted the symbolic act that, in a certain sense, has achieved more and taken to the common and also the popular conscience what the clarifications made in words and in the different statements proposed by the Pope and his collaborators in past months could not.

But what was also still lacking was precisely that act, that physical step, that moment of cordial meeting with a smile, an open heart, which would demonstrate and make it understood that the distances were surmounted and that the dialogue was something real, profound and sincere.

I would say that, in addition to the moment of recollection, also the cordiality of the dialogue with the Great Mufti and with the imam, who welcomed the Pope in the mosque, was an especially expressive and happy moment.

Let's reflect on another strong image of the trip: Benedict XVI's embrace with Bartholomew I, a sign of a cordiality and, we could say, of an affection that seems to encourage the ecumenical path.
This is a path that continues, a path that Pope Benedict XVI has placed from the beginning, from the first day of his election, among the priorities of his pontificate.

I would say that, in addition to that gesture, also of great significance were the words the Pope uttered in his address during the Divine Liturgy, when renewing that courageous, profound and cordial invitation of John Paul II to talk together, to seek together ways to define this universal ministry of Peter at the service of the unity of the whole Church, and likewise the explicit desire for unity that he kept stressing during the homily in the last Mass in the Catholic Cathedral of Istanbul.

The passionate desire for unity states that the priority of the pontificate is truly very present and the embrace with Patriarch Bartholomew I and also the embraces of peace with other Orthodox representatives and those of other Christian confessions present in the conclusive Mass of the trip are very expressive.

There was also an occasion, on the part of the ecumenical patriarch, to touch upon specific problems in which the Orthodox Church appeals for solidarity, for the Catholic Church's friendship in its situations of difficulty.

It is, therefore, an ecumenism that must continue, both from the point of view of doctrinal, theological and ecclesiological in depth study, as well as from that of concrete charity, closeness and solidarity for the mission of evangelization and Christian witness in today's world, which is truly in very great need of it.

In Ephesus and in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul, the intense and even at times moving meeting with the small Catholic community of Turkey, and on several occasions during the apostolic journey, the Pope requested that religious liberty be guaranteed. What expectations can one now have?
This request for the affirmation of religious liberty, which itself is present in the Turkish Constitution, was certainly manifested, but with an interpretation that, in practice, at times leaves much to be desired, creating difficulties.

The affirmation of the principle was, therefore, very clear, and not only in addresses but also in conversations held with different authorities, both by the Pope as well as his collaborators.

There was also, in particular during the meeting with the deputy prime minister, the specific proposal to establish a commission at the level of government and of representatives of the Church to address these concrete problems.

In this connection, it was certainly an encouragement for the life of the Catholic community, for its faith and enthusiasm, but also a premise to take concrete steps of continuity, so that the premises posed by this visit can develop and bear fruits.

One of the points that impressed me, especially in the conclusive Mass, was that of the unity and community among the different rites. There were four different rites of Catholic Christian communities that live in Istanbul and that manifested their variety and richness in the morning liturgy.

There was, therefore, also an invitation to unity, to the communion of riches, of traditions and of cultural expressions within the Catholic Church. A cordial invitation, the latter, which has come from this prayer meeting to which the Pope also made explicit reference more than once yesterday.

As is known, the expectations of the trip were many, coupled also with some concerns. Can it then be said, without exaggeration, that the Pope has been able to win everyone over, perhaps even beyond the expectations?
I'd say yes, and this seems to me an extremely positive result.
The trip has borne fruit in all directions and this has shown that there were no directions that were opposed, divergent or in competition among themselves, but that peace can be built and that positive messages can be given to invite all those of good will to collaborate and build better coexistence.

I would not like to forget, in fact, the strong appeals for peace in the Middle East, very close to here -- Turkey is, in a certain sense, a nation of this geographic area -- that the Pope has voiced on several occasions, encouraging the commitment of the international community and, especially, also of this great nation, for peace in this most critical region.

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 07/12/2006 13.18]

Also posted in NEWS ABOUT BENEDICT...

Turkey and Regensburg:
the same Pope
by Samir Khalil Samir, SJ


In his meetings in Turkey, Benedict XVI launched once again the ideas of Regensburg, building opportunities for encounter and dialogue between West and East. The urgency of condemning violence and safeguarding “open” secularity, against the temptation of politics that marginalizes religion and religion that monopolizes politics.

Beirut (AsiaNews) – The enthusiasm with which the Turks welcomed Benedict XVI and the positive assessment made by local media have taken everyone by surprise.

On the eve of the Pope’s visit, concerns prevailed in Turkey (and the Pope himself said that he was “worried”) as did fears, in connection with violent threats from Iraqi branches of Al-Qaeda.

What prevailed most was a certain prejudice against Benedict XVI – that he was “anti-Turkish”, “anti-Islam”, an “inquisitor”, a “conservative” – as well as a partial and ideological reading of his Regensburg speech, labelled as “the gaffe”, the “blunder” of the pontificate which risked sparking war between Islam and the West, with the quotation of Manuel II Paleologus and the “presumption” of bringing together Religion and Reason, excluding violence, and instead implying that too often Islam and violence go together.

But now, most comments are that “finally” Regensburg has been forgotten, wiped out, killed and the Pope changed his “policy” in Turkey, having become even an astute politician who is more careful about opportunity than about truth.

Actually, though, the Pope’s message in Turkey is a continuation of that of Regensburg.

The essential message at Regensburg was two-fold.

Firstly, with a view toward the West, it was to say that secularization is not a positive thing and does not allow for universal dialogue. Instead, Reason allows for universal dialogue on the condition that it is not detached from religiosity and from moral principles. This was a critique of the West. There was also a critique of the Islamic world, too tempted by violence.

The final aim of this two-fold critique was a positive affirmation: if we want universal peace and global dialogue, these aspirations are threatened in the West and the East by these two main issues.

The Pope is thus striving to build a philosophical-theological framework centred on rationality, but a rationality which is open to the transcendental dimension. In his trip to Turkey, Benedict XVI gave substance to this vision, applying it to a concrete situation, but his thinking remains that of Regensburg.

Speaking to the Muslims, he discretely recalled the question of violence, but avoided the misunderstanding which occurred with his words at Regensburg.

There, media said that the Pope identified Islam with violence. Instead, he had pointed his finger at an existing and dangerous reality, that of violence in the Islamic world, without establishing a total equivalency between Islam and violence.

The proof of this, we know, lies in the fact that, at Regensburg, the Pope quoted one single verse of the Koran, the most positive, the one according to which, in Islam, on matters of faith, “there is no constriction.” The Pope thus suggested that for authentic Islam, there can be absolutely no use for either violence or moral pressure.

And quoting the much-discussed text of Manuel II Paleologus – the “novelties of Islam are just violence and evil” – he distanced himself from it, even though he did not say it was false. It was false in its generalization, but not in having sensed a danger.

The Pope made clear that that is not an accusation against Islam in general, but a risk that exists in Islam. And who can deny it?

From this point of view, what was said by the President of Religious Affairs in Turkey, Ali Bardakoglu, seems to me absurd. He said that it is scientifically impossible to maintain this thesis, according to which, historically, Islam was spread through violence. This is absurd.

Many Muslim historians have written that the spread of Islam, especially in the initial phase, in the Middle East and North Africa, occurred through war. In other parts, in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, etc., it occurred instead through commerce and the Sufis (mystics).

Often Islam did not force people to become Muslim, but gave rise to a social and political system by which, to have a say in this society and to play a political role, one needed to become Muslim.

The social system foreseen by Islam – and already foreseen in the Koran – pushes non-Muslims to become Muslim if they want to have a role in society. In so doing, Islam reduced Christian communities to intellectually, socially and politically weak minorities. This involves constriction, contrary to what is said in the Koranic verse mentioned above.

Benedict XVI reminded Bardakaglu that collaboration between Christians and Muslims needs to have at its basis attention for “the truth of the sacred character and dignity of the person,” in “respect for the responsible choices that each person makes, especially those pertaining…to personal religious convictions.”

The message to the West – dealt with in the Pontiff’s meeting with the diplomatic corps at Ankara – is that of secularity open to the spiritual.

The Pope returned to this theme – which he had already dealt with at Regensburg – to apply it to the secularity of the Turkish government, calling for freedom of religion and of conscience. In theory, the West recognizes religious freedom. The point is that Western secularity goes as far as to exclude all that is religious, putting it into the private domain.

Turkey’s secularity is Islamic secularity: limits are set on whoever is not nationalistic and Islamic so that national identity is not jeopardized.

In the past week, two Turkish converts from Islam were condemned by virtue of the law on national identity (article 301 of the criminal code). This is the same accusation (and sentence) that is made against those who dare to speak of or recognize the Armenian genocide.

The Pope insisted much on freedom of conscience. And he made an appeal to the Islamic world by praising Turkish secularity, which allows for a distinction between state and religion. He highlighted this aspect, recalling that religions must stay out of politics, “as that [Editor’s note: direct politics], is not their province.”

Benedict XVI is thus striving to find a middle way for all humanity that allows for the interrelation between religion, spirituality, reason, secularity and state. Being in the Western world, he insists on a secularity which is “open” to the spiritual.

There thus exists continuity in the Pope’s speeches in Turkey with what he said at Regensburg, in looking for a way of communication between politics and religion, against the monopoly of religion on politics and against the monopoly of politics which excludes religion.

I was wondering why no one had asked Hans Kueng about the Pope's visit to Turkey since, after all, Kueng's last book was about Islam and he had been critical of what the Pope chose to quote about Islam in Regensburg.

Marco Politi of La Repubblica - who has been mostly negative about Benedict - has been surprisingly positive about the Pope's Turkey trip, and he took the initiative of interviewing Kueng.

Here is a translation of the interview that appears in La Repubblica today, shared with us by Lella in the main forum:

Hans Kueng approves:
'He knew what he was doing'-
in the spirit of Vatican II

by MARCO POLITI

ROME - Hans Kueng, the celebrated theologian from Tuebingen, is favorably impressed by Benedict XVI's prayer at the Blue
Mosque.

But it isn't only from today [meaning, he has said so before] that the leading critic of contemporary Christianity - and advocate of a global ethic for believers and non-believers - is convinced that Joseph Ratzinger "has (several) cards to play as Pope, because he is a reflective man who meditates and plans and can make the Church go forward in small steps that haowever have great significance."

Now that the Pope has told us that he addressed the "one Lord" inside a Muslim place of worship - with a Muslim imam beside him - Kueng comments without hesitation that Benedict XVI 'knows what he is doing" and that he is acting within the context of a common commitment among Christians and Muslims against the nihilism and relativism of the contemporary world.

Professor Kueng, were you surprised seening the Pope praying in a mosque?
The Pope is a good theologian. He knows what he is doing.

But the image has shaken the Catholic world. [It has????]
I am glad he expressed the concept of the one God and that when men recollect themselves in prayer, they address Him, whatever the circumstances in which that prayer takes place or whatever name they call God.

How do you evaluate the reference to the 'one God'?
This is a gesture that comes in the wake of the conciliar declaration Nostra aetate. The passage in which the Council fathers state that "the Church looks with esteem on Muslims who adore the one God, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, Creator of heaven and earth." The Pope was at the Council as a theologian. Ratzinger and I were there as the youngest of teh theology experts.

What impression did you have of the Pope's account (of Turkey)?
I maintain that this is an ulterior consequence of the spirit of Vatican-II.

Many are struck by the fact that all this has taken place barely two months cince the Regensburg lecture, when the anti-Mohammed citation from Manuel II Paleologus evoked the image of a Pope who is suspicious of Islam.
I don't want to go back to the Regensburg episode. [BRAVO!!!]

But can you erase something that provoked a big crisis with the Muslim world?
It is good that the Pope drew a lesson from it and has listened to what came out from the Muslim world and its scholars.

You have created a foundation for a global ethic. Do you think that the prayer at the Blue Mosque goes in the direction of favoring a closer relationship between religions towards a shared ethic?
The Pope himself spoke about it in Turkey. He touched on a common concern among Christians and Muslims regarding the nihilism and relativism of contemporary society.

But I would like to underscore that the problem of a global ethic does not concern only relatuions among religions, but involves all persons who are ethically motivated, including non-believers.

Here is Politi's story on the Pope's account of the trip at the Wednesday audience:

'In the mosque
I prayed to the one God"
By MARCO POLITI


VATICAN CITY - the Pope's prayer at the mosque in Istanbul was not planned, but for Benedict XVI it was a sign from God. He said this to the faithful who came to his Wednesday audience yesterday.

"Divine Providence," said the Pope, "allowed me to fulfill, almost at the end of my trip, an act that had not been originally planned and which proved toi be quite significant: the visit to the celebrated Blue Mosque of Istanbul."

For the first time, the Pope went into detail: "Pausing for some moments of meditation in that place of prayer, I addressed myself to the one Lord of heaven and earth, the merciful Father of all humanity."

An important statement. Because Benedict XVI respectfully defined the mosque as 'a place of prayer' [But that's what a mosque is - unless it becomes barracks and arsenal for terrorists as in many places] and because he has revealed that - with the Mufti of Istanbul beside him - he addressed himself to 'the only God' and therefore, the God Creator which even the Muslims worship and call in the same way.

The Pope appeared to be somewhat discreet yesterday in openly calling his action a 'prayer.' He was more spontaneous shortly after that pause in the blue Mosque, when he told the Mufti, "Thank you for this moment of prayer."

Apparently, there have been questions among the Catholic hierarchy over the idea of a Pope praying inside a mosque. [
I really do not understand all this quibbling - by people who should be the last to do so - over a very simple and straightforward act. Anyone, even the Pope, can pray anywhere.]

Cardinal Kasper told Sky TV: "I don't know what the Pope was thinking during that moment of silence inside the Blue Mosque: a rflection, a meditation, yes, that could be done...If it was a prayer, then it was not an official prayer, not a public prayer, because that cannot be done." [I imagine what Kasper meant was that it wasn't a public rite being performed but a private prayer - and certainly, it is obvious the Pope cannot perform a rite inside a mosque..]

Benedict XVI closed his account of the trip with a wish: "May all believers acknowledge themselves to be His creatures and give testimony of true brotherhood."

The Pope admitted that going in, the trip to Turkey did not 'look easy' but that everything then turned out 'happily.' He expressed the hope that Turkey would be "a bridge of friendship and brotherly collaboration bewteen East and West."

The unexpected prayer in the mosque, which the Pope concluded bowing his head towards the East - which for Muslims means Mecca - aroused much emotion in the CAtholic world.

Mons. Vincenzo Paglia, president of the commission for ecumenism and inter-religious dialog in the Italian bishops conference, said that "without yielding to any type of confusion or relativism," the Pope had taken a step forward with respect to the so-called 'spirit of Assisi.'

In his address to the faithful yesterday, the Pope reiterated that the secular state should assure full religious freedom and guarantee 'the public relevance of faith' without yielding to fundamentalism and while rejecting any violence.

"In Turkey I felt myself loved and understood," Benedict XVI said, invoking "a common commitment among Christians and Muslims for the human being, for life, for peace and justice."

He referred to his meetings with Patriarch Bartholomew I as an 'ulterior stage' in the road towards Christian unity.

Well, this time he did not criticize. He may still be bitter but he has mostly been 'nice' about his comments on the Pope since he became Pope. He's too intelligent to sound like 'sour grapes' all the time. And being who he is, the media will report what he says on his own or seek him out for comments. Either way, he makes news, and all I do is post the news - and we can then all comment.

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Scritto da: TERESA BENEDETTA 07/12/2006 15.37
Well, this time he did not criticize. He may still be bitter but he has mostly been 'nice' about his comments on the Pope since he became Pope. He's too intelligent to sound like 'sour grapes' all the time. And being who he is, the media will report what he says on his own or seek him out for comments. Either way, he makes news, and all I do is post the news - and we can then all comment.

---

Sorry, I gratefull you find this article. On the other hand, I'm going to have Küng allergy, probably.
Everytime when I read his statements I remember what Papa wrote in Salt of Earth...that Küng said him he is satisfied in his disent position.

Talking Turkey – Pope’s conciliation furthers Orthodox, Muslim dialogues

By Russell Shaw
12/6/2006
Our Sunday Visitor

HUNTINGTON, Ind. (Our Sunday Visitor) – Reconciliation, as Pope Benedict XVI certainly knows, requires not only the occasional dramatic gesture but a slow, steady process of growing together. During his apostolic trip to Turkey, the pope made dramatic gestures to promote reconciliation on several broad fronts, but the trip's lasting impact can only be gauged by future events.

The pope's Nov. 30-Dec. 1 journey to Turkey was two trips rolled into one.

In one trip, Pope Benedict reached out to angry Muslims and alienated Turks in hopes of healing hard feelings over remarks he'd made that they took as insults. In the larger scheme of things, it was an attempt to deflect the "clash of civilizations" between Islam and the West sometimes predicted by doomsayers.

In the other trip – to see the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I – Pope Benedict sought to foster the movement toward Catholic-Orthodox reunion stalled in recent years by mutual suspicions and resentments. His encounter with the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul, Mesrob II, had a similar ecumenical purpose. More than anything else, advancing the quest for unity between the churches of the East and the West was what brought the pope to Turkey.

Orthodox relations

Catholics and Orthodox have been divided for almost a millennium, but relations have vastly improved in recent decades. In 1965, Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras II lifted mutual excommunications, and Pope Paul and Pope John Paul II both made well-received visits to Istanbul. More recently, though, the Catholic-Orthodox theological dialogue was chilled amid a variety of grievances, including Orthodox complaints about alleged Catholic proselytizing in Eastern Europe and Catholic resentments about property seized during the communist years. Only this fall did the dialogue resume.

Although the ecumenical patriarch directly presides over only a few thousand Orthodox faithful, his office has a symbolic primacy of honor among the patriarchs of the worldwide Orthodox communion, which numbers 300 million.

In this context, a joint declaration by Pope Benedict and Patriarch Bartholomew signaled a notable advance. Affirming the "urgent need" for unity, they sketched a program of cooperation on issues like the rise of secularism and relativism in the West, human rights, Middle-East peace and the environment.

But there's a long way to go. Traditional suspicions of Rome within the powerful Russian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox churches have not been overcome, and theological issues like the role of the papacy in a united church remain unresolved.

Muslim interaction

Pope Benedict's outreach to the Muslim world produced similarly real but limited immediate results.

Heavy security and generally sparse crowds marked the visit to Turkey, an officially secular state where 99.8 percent of the 72 million people are Muslims and only about 30,000 are Catholics. In the weeks beforehand, Pope Benedict was bitterly criticized in the Turkish media for opposition he voiced in 2004 to Turkish membership in the European Union and for a talk last September in which he quoted a 14th-century Byzantine Christian emperor's harsh words about Mohammed and Islam.

During his visit, the pope went out of his way to express esteem for Muslims and their faith while calling for Christian-Muslim dialogue and understanding.

Pope Benedict told Muslim leaders in Istanbul that shared belief in "the sacred character and dignity of the person" is the basis of respect between Christians and Muslims and cooperation in the cause of peace.

Seeking to discourage the idea that an apocalyptic conflict between Islam and the West lies ahead, he said: "As men and women of religion, we are challenged by the widespread longing for justice, development, solidarity, freedom, security, peace, defense of life, protection of the environment and of the resources of the earth."

Equal participation

But Pope Benedict gently made it clear that good relations require reciprocity. For "all believers," he said, freedom of religion is "the necessary condition for their loyal contribution to the building up of society."

And, preaching at a Mass beside the tiny house outside Ephesus where tradition says the blessed virgin lived after Christ's death, he spoke of the "fine witness" of Father Andrea Santoro. The Italian priest, pastor of a Catholic parish on the Black Sea, was shot to death last February by a Turkish teenager apparently angered by cartoons in European publications lampooning Mohammed. Since then his successor has been stabbed and two other religious have been attacked.

On the plane to Turkey, Pope Benedict shared the rationale for his journey with reporters: "The objective … is dialogue, fraternity, a commitment in favor of understanding between cultures and religions, in favor of reconciliation." To the extent possible in four days, the trip marked a step forward in all of these areas.

. - - -

Russell Shaw is a contributing editor to Our Sunday Visitor.

Christian Renaissance

by ALI BULAC
12.07.2006 Thursday - ISTANBUL 22:09
Zaman Daily Newspaper Online

The Pope has two hats: One is worldly and belongs to the state and, therefore, politics; the other is religious or spiritual.

During his visit to Turkey, the Pope wore his worldly/political hat while speaking with the prime minister and president.

The things they talked about were things that please official authorities. For example, he said he supported Turkey’s EU process whereas Cardinal Ratzinger did not think like that.

In Ankara, there was no basic shift in his ideas. Perhaps he fulfilled the requirements of real-politik on the diplomatic level.

The Pope spoke to Ali Bardakoglu, Director of Religious Affairs, from the perspective of his religious/spiritual identity.

He didn’t apologize for his September 12th Regensburg speech, but he took meaningful steps to win the hearts of the Muslim public.

His not praying in Hagia Sophia was to keep official circles happy. His acceptance of Istanbul Mufti Mustafa Cagrici’s invitation to pray in Sultanahmet Mosque and his not crossing himself were aimed at the Muslim public.

However, while folding his hands above his stomach like Muslims, still he held his left hand over his right hand. This was a subtle message.

The pope’s contacts with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and Patriarch Bartholomeos, the spiritual leader of the church, were both religious/theological and worldly/political.

His reference to erasing the historical and theological conflict from the memory of the two churches was more relevant to today’s situation and the future than to the past.

It is not easy to understand the strategy in the inner most consciousness of Pope Benedict XVI. It is possible to say this much: The Catholic Church has given great importance to “cooperation” with the Orthodox Church since the Second Vatican Council. All three popes (1967, 1979 and 2006) came to Istanbul to make this union functional and vital.

The Pope wants to gain for Europe a new unity in the foundation of Christianity. The Orthodox Church has, only in recent years, shown a vague amount of sensitivity to the subject of “environmental problems and ecological balance,” mentioning “secularization, relativism and nihilism” as serious threats in the historical declaration signed on October 30th.

The references of Pope Benedict XVI to the subject of “secularization” or according to the defined framework of “aggressive and destructive secularism” are important.

We know from his earlier speeches and his public views that the pope is tightly bound to the idea of “separation of church and state.” But now he is defining secularism as a threat.

If there appears to be a contradiction between these two, there is none in the essence of the matter. It is not the pope’s aim to establish a theocracy based on Christian absolutism.

But he is advocating the return of religion to politics. According to him, Europe is morally deteriorating and failing politically. The reason for this is “secularism becoming absolute.”

In the past, religion (Christianity) was the problem; today secularism itself is the problem.

The role given to Christianity against the nihilism, consumerism and hedonism that absolute secularism has led to in the West is activating churches in both Istanbul and Moscow and is giving them new courage.

It hasn’t taken the pope’s new approach and strategy long to show important effects. Refusing to meet with a pope until now, the Patriarch of the Moscow Orthodox Church, Alexei II, said he could meet with Pope Benedict XVI.

Like the Catholic Vatican, the Istanbul and Moscow Orthodox churches are aware that they are on the threshold of a new era.

There appears to be a “Christian Renaissance” on the horizon as an alternative to Enlightenment’s secularism.

Islam is not a “founding partner” in this process and will not take an active role in dialogue as was thought.

The question is this: Is Islam going to accept being “a marginal belief suitable for being the other” in the face of secularism’s heavy pressure, on the one hand, and a new Christian awakening, on the other hand?

Are Muslims going to accept being put in the position of “fanatics on the side of unreasonable violence and terror”? No one else is going to answer these questions; we are.

The pope is not at all a pure academician as was claimed; he is also a strategist who can apply the scientific and religious formation he has to daily issues. After returning from Istanbul the first thing he did was to appoint Henry Kissinger as his consultant.

CORRECTION! The Pope asked Kissinger to be a 'consultant' before he went to Istanbul - shortly after returning from Bavaria, in fact.


P.S. Now, there's an article on another thread in which Fr. Lombardi specifically denies that the Pope asked Kissinger to be a 'consultant'. So the Italian correspondent who wrote the story in New York, quoting Kissinger as having said so must have misunderstood what he was told, or Kissinger was peddling a lie (why would he, though?)...

Anyway, it was nice for a while to think the Pope reached out to a fellow German who does have deep experience in international affairs and has had personal dealings with many of the current lead players on the world stage today. And I still would not rule it out that they could talk informally from time to time...It's good for the Pope to get a range of secular views as well.

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 08/12/2006 5.10]

On December 3, 2006, the following editorial commentary was published on the front page of Osservatore Romano. Here is a translation:

The historic gestures of
Benedict XVI in Turkey
By Gianpaolo Mattei


There's a new page in the Acts of the Apostles. Peter's Successor wrote it in Turkey, "holy land' and 'cradle' of a Church that became universal. The place where, for the first time, the disciples of Jesus came to be known as Christians. Seat of the founding Councils which formulated the words of the Creed expressing the faith of Christians and the truth of the Theotokos, the beauty of the Mother of God.

Peter carried out this apostolic voyage in the style of the Turk Paul of Tarsus. He truly set forth to meet everyone, talk to everyone, with the humility, the simplicity and the friendship that derive from the faith.

And that gave rise to the historic gestures that marked off the steps of this journey. That is the reason for the radiant hope that one senses everywhere and not only in Turkey.

Truly, the Acts of the Apostles have gained a new page. Lived with the spriitual force of St. John - who realized his writings on Turkish soil - and the missionary vigor of St. Paul; with the authority of St. Peter - who preached the Gospel in Antioch, and with the luminosity of St. Luke, who was born in Antioch himself.

The trip is 'a new page' - a new 'act' by the apostles of our time - which also showed all the the boundless tenderness of the Mother of God. It is under the watchful look of the Mother venerated even by Muslims that so many misunderstandings can be resolved. One is conversing familiarly with the Love that knows no bounds.

A fact rooted in the "Fact"

Thus, Benedict XV's apostolic voyage to Turkey finds its place in the great history of the apostles, becoming itself instant history. A gripping history lived with evangelical clarity. That is why for this event, the use of the terms 'history' and 'historical' is never an abuse. If this trip was not a historical fact, then what is? The Apostolic Voyage to Turkey was really a fact rooted in FACT. [I must admit I cannot figure out what the writer means by FACT here!]

"A part of my heart remains in Istanbul," the Pope said Friday, Dec. 1, just before leaving the country at the end of a trip that began Tuesday, Nov, 28.

The heart has been an icon of this trip. Benedict XVI spoke with his heart and undertook this voyage with his heart, and so he touched the hearts of those he spoke with, of those he met, of those who followed his steps from Ankara to Ephesus to Istanbul.

He knew instinctively how to transform prejudice and misunderstanding into dialog and reciprocal attention. He contributed, in a way that was comprehensible to all, to the idea of a world that can recognize in brotherhood and dialog common truths, not leaving space for violent conflicts and acts of death.

Truly every Christian must always have a part of his heart in that land, feeling himself a citizen of Ephesus and all those places which the Scriptures and Tradition have made so familiar to us, that make us feel 'at home' even if physically, we have never been there.

But with the power of the Holy Spirit, a part of our heart is always there, in the cities and villages where the first Christian communites were born, where the Apostles preached and wrote, where the Fathers of the Church lived, prayed and bore witness to the Faith. The stones speak - and not only to archaelogical scholars - because they tell us of living reality.

Benedict XVI has now added new apostolic pages to the Church and to the world. The newspapers of Turkey showed a crescendo of esteem and attention for the Pope. There were acts and gestures that succeeeded to lay down bridges in a land which is itself, as it always has been, a bridge between East and West, between Asia And Europe.

Fatherly encouragement to the 'little flock'

Every step that Benedict made took on a value of boundless hope. Above all, his fatherly encouragement of the 'little flock' of Catholics - heirs of an extraordinary tradition - who "live daily on a humble path alongside those who do not share their faith in Christ but who declare the faith of Abraham and adore the one merciful God."

In Turkey is found the village of Harran where Abraham - common father of the faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims - gave his Yes and set forth along the road indicated for him by God.

The Catholic Church in Turkey is a beautiful mosaic of different rites and traditions which together give life to the reality of an authentic communion.

The Pope celebrated Holy Mass in the 'garden' of the House of the Mother of God - where according to the oldest Christian tradition, she lived with the apostle John - in Ephesus and at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul. The explosive force of Pentecost was relived in these Cenacles in Turkey.

And the Holy Father's informal and joyous encounter with the youth at the residence in Istanbul will live on in memory. The
young people had prepared themselves lengthily through prayer to be able to avail of the extraordinary spiritual opportunity of meeting Peter in their own land. On that occasion, hope was spelled in the very names of these young people.

"The Church in Turkey does not wish to impose anything on anyone. It asks simply to be able to live its faith freely to reveal Him who cannot be hidden: Jesus Christ. Religious freedom is after all, both the expression of human freedom as well as a fundamental right."

Benedict's words constituted a 'new Letter to the Ephesians', a 'new letter to the Galatians,' a 'new letter of Peter,' who addressed his first epistle precisely to the Christians who lived in what is now Turkey, inviting them to always give reason to whoever asked them about the hope that they carried in them.

And so it will be from now on for this 'little flock' visited and blessed by their Shepherd: to render testimony with more force than ever of the hope that is Christ.

The embrace with Brother Andrew

Turkey, through its history, is 'synonymous' to Christian unity, even if historic events unfortunately tore apart that unity. And yet, it was there where the undivided Church celebrated its ecumenical councils.

The Successor of Peter came to embrace the Successor of his brother Andrew. Together they prayed, together they signed a Commmon Declaration which commits them to do everything possible to pursue the inevitable road to full unity and to finally reach one Chalice, a single communion.

Their clasped hands raised - that was another 'icon' of this apostolic voyage. As was the cordiality, the brotherhood and the directness in their personal relations. Now, what used to be merely a faint hope until Paul VI and Athenagoras met in Jerusalem in 1964, has become 'normal.'

During these days of pilgrimage, the Pope also met with the Armenian Apostolic Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafian for a prayer celebration, and he received a visit from the Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan Filuskinos Yusuf Cetin and teh Grand Rabbi of Turkey.

On this visit, one breathed fully the yearning for the unity of all Christians in the certainty that the 'scandal' of their division should cease.

The way of dialog with the Muslims

"He arrived as Pope. He leaves as Father." The headline of a Turkish newspaper is the eloquent 'synthesis' of the surprise and sympathy which Benedict XVI generated among Muslims and the entire society of Turkey.

This sentiment, so sensitive and so emotional, poured forth from the hearts of the Turkish people who 'accompanied' the historic visit of the Pope to Santa Sophia - splendid Byzantine Church turned mosque and now a museum - and to the Blue Mosque.

In Santa Sophia, the Holy Father caressed three handicapped children, authentic presence of the Love of God amid human fragility. In his affectionate gesture was a message that all could understand. There is a 'dialog of caritas' which never has a problem with different cultures and languages. Both sides understand each other with the alphabet and the grammar of love, and by service towards the construction rather than the destruction of life.

In the Blue Mosque, the Pope was welcomed with great fraternity adn friendship. He had brought with him as a gift the image of doves and he in turn received from the Muslim representatives, the image of a dove. How could one not read into that a common desire for dialog?

Benedict's visit to the Blue Mosque expressed in historic gestures the firm commitment to persevere along the path of dialog and of reciprocal respect in the common desire to live in peace.

No one in Turkey will forget the Pope kissing the one-year-old Frederica nor his friendly gesture of waving the Turkish flag in Ephesus, his smiles and his arms open to welcome everyone, really everyone, and finally, releasing doves towards the skies of Istanbul. The dove which, Genesis tells us, announced to Noah the end of the deluge, bearing in its beak an olive branch. This is the language of signs and gestures.

The 'presence' of Roncalli and Andrea Santoro

Benedict XVI did not write this new page of the Acts of the Apostles by himself. Together with him, the universal Church undertook this pilgrimage - a Church that was present in prayer - in the ancient apostolic footsteps of Peter of Bethsaida, and in more recent times, those of Paul VI and John Paul II whio both made trips to Turkey in 1967 and 1979 at the start of their respective pontificates.

He was also joined on this pilgrimage by Don Andrea Santoro, the Roman priest who was murdered last Februaryy 5 in Trabson as he prayed. His violent death did not generate vendetta but pardon, opening new paths of reconicliation.

And Pope Benedict was joined by Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, who was Pontifical Representative for 10 years among this people whom he loved.

His memory, very much alive in Turkey, still constitutes today a point of encounter, along with the Turks' grateful memory of Benedict XV, "great Pope in the hour of global tragedy", for his work of peace accomplished "without distinction of religion or nationality" which Istanbul acknowledged to the point of rendering him the exceptional honor in 1919 of erecting a statue in his memory.

Therer is a profound and very topical reflection of Papa Roncalli, confided in the pages of his "Journal of a Soul" which brings alive the most profound spiritual significance of Benedict VXI's apostolic voyage:

"I love the Turks...Every night I watch the boats on the Bosphorus..they gather together and then they light up together...These lights last through the night, and one hears the joyous voices of the fishermen. The sight moves me. The other night it rained heavily, but the fishermen were there anyway, intrepid in their rough labors. What an example for me, for us fishers of men faced with such an example!...To imitate these fishermen of the Bosphorus, to fish day and night with our lamps alight - that is our grave and sacred duty."

May the torches that Benedict XVI, Successor of Peter the Fisherman, has lit in Turkey remain alight, radiant with hope, to illuminate the obscurity of the violence which terrifies the world. To illuminate the course of history.
===============================================================


This article struck me when I first saw it because it advanced a very daring thought indeed - that Benedict had written a new page in the Acts of the Apostles. What a metaphor! And in fact, he comes up with other astonishing metaphors in the course of the article. For example, not only did Benedict write a new page in the Acts..., he also wrote his own Letter to the Ephesians, to the Galatians, or his own first Epistle of Peter...WOW! And his evocation of the Biblical Christian past in the lands that are now Turkey is most effective [even if he somehow failed to mention that Mt. Ararat where Noah's Ark came to 'rest' is in modern Turkey - its highest point, in fact. Maybe because everyone is supposed to know that?]

He is not incorrect, of course, with his central idea, except that every Pope, in effect, contributes his own page to the Acts of the Apostles. How, I wonder, did he report on the accomplishments of John Paul II, for instance?

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 08/12/2006 23.07]

John Allen has spared me one translation - this one of an interview Cardinal Bertone gave Avvenire in yesterday's issue:
Benedict in Turkey
was 'unarmed prophet,'
Vatican official says
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
New York
Posted on Dec 7, 2006

Benedict XVI’s image on his recent trip to Turkey was as an “unarmed prophet who spoke of peace, faith and love,” according to Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who said the visit dispelled an “erroneous interpretation” of the pope’s Sept. 12 lecture at the University of Regensburg, which touched off a firestorm of Muslim protest.

Bertone said that any “spirit of the Crusades, or of a clash of civilizations” is not part of the Catholic Church.

Bertone spoke in an interview with Italian journalist Gianni Cardinale, published Dec. 7 in L’Avvenire, the official newspaper of the Italian bishops.

Bertone said he was satisfied that, in the end, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with the pope, especially since giving a political dimension to the visit was actually the Turks’ idea in the first place.

“It’s well-known that the Holy Father initially made clear his desire to take an exclusively spiritual trip, without stopping in the political capital of the country,” Bertone said. “It was the civil authorities who, legitimately, insisted that the trip also have a ‘political’ dimension, so to speak.”

“At that point, it would have been truly strange if those same authorities withdrew from a meeting with the pope. But it didn’t happen that way,” he said.

Asked about Benedict’s comments to Erdogan on Turkey’s candidacy for the European Union, Bertone largely repeated earlier Vatican clarifications.

“As is known, the Holy See does not have an official position on the entry of Turkey or any other country into the European Union,” Bertone said. “Neither could it have one; we don’t possess, and we wouldn’t want to, any political judgment in this sense.”

Yet Bertone stressed a key theme for Benedict in Turkey – religious freedom.

“Certainly the Holy See always hopes that the countries which form part of the European Union – all, without exception – fulfill the necessary conditions for integration, including respect for the liberty to publicly profess one’s own faith, which must be guaranteed to every person and to every religious community,” Bertone said.

“As the Holy Father said, Turkey is a bridge between Europe and Asia, and it can play a precious function in this sense given its peculiar configuration as a Muslim country, but at the same time, a ‘secular’ one.”

Bertone acknowledged that Benedict raised the issue of religious liberty on the trip, adding, “Now we hope that this appeal will be welcomed in the concrete, and not just in Turkey.”

On the subject of an alleged threat against the pope from Al-Qaeda that circulated while Benedict was in Turkey, Bertone said this was given “excessive weight” by the press, “which has its own mechanisms that are sometimes hard to understand.”

“On scores of Turkish and Arab television channels, all the Muslims could see this unarmed prophet who spoke of peace, faith and love,” Bertone said, referring to the pope.

Asked about Benedict’s moment of prayer in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, Bertone defined it “a gesture inspired by the place and by the moment of intense spirituality which he was living.”

Finally, Cardinale asked Bertone about commentaries on Benedict’s trip from conservative European intellectuals known as “devout atheists,” who are not religious believers but who nevertheless support parts of the moral and social message of the Catholic Church. Some had hoped for a more “hawkish” line from Benedict in Turkey.

“It’s important to recall that the spirit of the Crusades, or of clashes of civilizations, are no longer part of the Catholic church, which always has at heart the fate of its own children in majority Muslim countries, but also the dignity of every person, whatever race, nation or religion they belong to,” Bertone said.

“If I can put it in a sound-bite,” Bertone said, “the church doesn’t really worry about atheists, however devout, because they’re out of her spiritual jurisdiction, so to speak. Much more worrisome are those inside the church who work to distort its faith and moral principles, or who oppose the pope and his design for renewal of the church.”

“But that,” Bertone said, “is another story.”

Here is the cover story in FAMIGLIA CRISTIANA on 12/3/06, recapping the Pope's historic visit to Turkey.

I did notice something quite glaring. While the main cover picutre shows the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch greeting each other in fraternal embrace, with a smaller picture showing the Pope with the Grand Mufti of Istanbul, the story itself says nothing about the other 'components of the trip - neither the political, nor the ecumenical, nor the pastoral - preferring to concentrate on the repair of relations with Islam.

These other aspects are only referred to in some of the pictures used with the story, and briefly in an accompanying commentary.



The trip to Turkey:
Success beyond all expectations
By Alberto Bobbio


Not only did he overcome the Regensburg case. Benedict XVI prayed side by side with the Grand Mufti of Istanbul. And thus re-launched a dialog of words and gestures. A dialog for peace.

He conquered them with his words, but more specially by his acts and by the image he presented of serenity and moderation.

Benedict XVI chose the way of anti-rhetoric to shake minds and consciences. And astounded Turkey and the world. .

It seemed such a risk - the trip to Ataturk's nation of proud secularism as well as Islamist unease among those who would want to impose this image over the other. The extremist part of the Turkish population detested him; the other, the overwhelming majority, were critical of him.

And now, in the small Cremonial waiting room of the airport on the Bosphorus, here he is conversing amiably with the Governor fo Istanbul. He had managed to bury divisions and hatred, and gave a beautiful lesson to those who invoke, from whatever side, the clash of civilizations as the final solution to the problems of the world today.

When he stepped into the Boeing 737 that would take him back to Rome, he knew that he had thrown across this narrow sea corridor between Europe and Asia, between Christianity and Islam, a bridge constructed with words, acts and images which will go down in history. He said and wrote the words. He provided the acts and gestures.


Benedict XVI at the Blue Mosque
of Istanbul, where he prayed side by side
with the Grand Mufti.

In the Golden Book of the Santa Sophia Museum, with a pen that swept away a past of rancor, he wrote down a sentence that is a reminder to humanity of its responsibility: "In our diversity we find ourselves together in faith before the one God - may God enlighten us and make us find the way of love and of peace."


That prayer on unshod feet

Paul VI, when he came to Turkey in 1967, the first time a Pope crossed the Sublime Gate, returned to the Turks, as a sign of friendship, the standard of the sultan's fleet that was defeated in Lepanto. It was a sensational gesture, because that banner had been kept in the Vatican like a relic.

Benedict XVI sealed the friendship with a silent prayer, on unshod feet, facing Mecca, in the most important Muslim temple of Istanbul, the Blue Mosque, scintillating with its turquoise tiles, its lights and its evocative power.

Joseph Ratzinger crossed the Sublime Gate and carried out the action that explains and dictates his words.


Benedict XVI and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
greet the faithful from the balcony of the Phanar
before signing a Common Declaration.

Said Cardinal Etchegaray, the man of the 'missions impossible' sent by Papa Wojtyla to Iraq and China, and whom Benedict XVI last summer sent to Lebanon: "It is a gesture that is as powerful as that of John Paul II's when he left a letter in the wall after praying at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. In both cases, no one expected it."

All Turkey watched on TV

Benedict XVI had just left the Museum of Santa Sophia. The cameras had lingered on his hand as he wrote on the Golden Book. All Turkey, glued to their TV sets, read what he wrote. Five channels were broadcasting it live. Hundreds of journalists from around the world translated it for their audiences.


The Pope's unshod feet in the mosque.

About a hundred meters separate Santa Sophia and the Blue Mosque. The Pope had to traverse it in an armored car, because Turkish security was prepared for the worst. But the protest demonstrations previously announced had already failed spectacularly. There were a dozen diehard opponents of the Pope because of his Muhammed citation in Regensburg, 200 policemen and 500 newsmen. And that is how those hundred meters will go down in history.

Benedict XVI takes off his shoes at the rectangular courtyard next to the Grand Mufti of Istanbul, Mustafa Cagrici. He enters the mosque, admires the spare Muslim magnificence - 20,000 mosaic tiles of nacre shading into blue.

Evening falls on the Bosphorus, as a Pope prays before the one God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as a Pope explains silently to the world - with only the close-up images on TV showing his lips moving slowly, his eyes closed, his arms crossed - that the prayer that counts buries divisions as well as visions which everyone wishes to impose on the other.

It all took place in a lightning moment. The Grand Mufti accompanied the Pope towards the mihrab, the niche oriented toward Mecca found in every mosque in the world.

"Here we (Muslims) pause and pray briefly to gain serenity. If you wish, we can do that."


The Pope presents his gift to the Grand Mufti.

The Pope stops. He closes his eyes, as the Muslim cleric beside him murmurs the prayer that Muslims pray in front of the mihrab. But a few seconds do not suffice for the Pope. The Mufti looks at him. What will he do? He watches in amazement.

Prayer often seems like a small thing, but it is powerful, and this image was more eloquent than any words.

They did not pray together, but side by side, an act of praying that became a dialog. To say that each one keeps his own identity, but the passion for God and for the fate of humanity is a common concern, and God has never disappointed man.

Benedict XVI would explain its sense the next day, just before leaving for Rome, talking to the governor of Istanbul at the airport: "I believe that for the Supreme Pastor of the Catholic Church, dialog is a duty. I thank the Lord that I was able to give a sign for this dialog and for better understanding among religions and cultures,in particular with Islam."


The Pope in prayer at Mary's House
in Ephesus.

Providence directs events

The Pope gave the Mufti a mosaic depicting doves. The Mufti gave the Pope a tile with calligraphy - a sentence in the form of a design - that was also the image of a dove, and which said in Arabic, "Allah is the name of God."

And then, there were the words caught on the microphones of the mosque. "Holiness, please remember us," from the Grand Mufti.

And on the threshold going out, the Pope saying to the Mufti: "See, Providence has planned that we should walk in this direction." [This was originally reported as the Pope's words when he saw that the gifts they exhanged both had the dove as image, which seems to be the more appropriate time for the comment to have been made .]

The Turkish newspapers reported that the Pope was a likable man, simpatico. One wrote outright that "He arrived as Pope, he is leaving as a father" [with apparently the same play of words on Papa, Pope, and Papa, father, as in Italian].

And Benedict XVI confides in turn that he is leaving part of his heart in Istanbul.

The Regensburg dossier - which was the concern of some and a grave issue for many - was definitely closed. But perhaps there was something else.



Benedict XVI blesses the faithful
gathered for Mass in Ephesus.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office said: "I think we have gone even farther beyond. Or rather, one could say that the Regensburg lecture has borne positive fruit - it has obliged that dialog start again seriously between Christians and Muslims, to arrive at important clarifications from both sides."



Andrea Riccardi, founder and president of the Sant'Egidio Community (promoters of the Assisi Days of Prayer) wrote this commentary for the magazine:

Love on tiptoes
in the "world of the other"
By Andrea Riccardi


«Traffik… problem… Papa», says the driver on a cab caught in a jam in an Istanbul under radical security measures for the visit of Benedict XVI. The presence of the Pope has become a national event.

The newspapers treated it that way. The exact opposite of what it would seem to be on the very eve of the visit, when demonstrations threatened and Prime Minister Erdogan's absence during the visit was taken for granted.

Christians, in this land of the most ancient New Testament memories, are but a speck in the vast Muslim horizon. Nevertheless, the Turks became interested in the Pope, and the government did not disdain to speak to a European Pope like Benedict XVI.

In fact, Turkey is a complex nation - Muslim, but alien to Arab culture, with strong ties to Europe, with which it has been bound for at least a century. It is a secular nation, although it is currently governed by an Islamist government. And these are simply some of the complex traits of this nation.

Benedict XVI entered this world as a gentle and calm man, certainly not with the step of a Crusdaer as he had been described.

He lived four days which represent a high point in his Pontificate, for its words and its acts.


The Pope releases a dove in front of
the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

He respected Turkish secularity (as he showed in Santa Sophia, where in contrast, Paul VI had fallen to his knees in 1967, remembering the schism of 1054). Indeed, he seemed to consider this secularity in the European context.

He showed, through his meditative prayerful attitude in the mosque, a profound perception of the interior aspects of Islam. The image of Benedict XVI, unshod inside a mosque, was carried on television screens all over the Muslim world, which is very sensitive to the value of prayer. It is an image that will stay on.

The Pope never concealed that ecumenism was the heart of his trip, even if it was obscured by the politico-mediatic dust storm raised about his relations with Turkey and Islam. He had been waiting a year to make this visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch, a first step for a Pope who considers relations with the Orthodox chruches to be decisive.

The Pope and the Patriatch signed a document in which they express the hope that "the Holy Spirit may help us to prepare the great day when we re-establish full unity."

With calm decision, the Pope has embarked on this ecumenical road which will see other meetings soon, like the visit to Rome next week of the Orthodox Patriarch of Athens, a meeting of the joint Catholic-Orthodox theological commission, and - it is hoped - an eventual meeting in Moscow with Alexei II, Patriarch of all Russia.*

The simple heartfelt visit of the Pope to the Armenian community (led by the Patriarch Mesrob II) was a fresh breath of Christian fraternity. It consolidated 40 years of gains but also opened a new season in which the theological dialog would be animated by love.

Turkey is another world, where very few Catholics live. But here, Benedict XVI - through his words, his gestures and his prayers - showed himself the Pope of Deus caritas est.

The primacy of love dictated respectful attention for some, sensible dialog with others, and a search for unity with non-Catholic Christians.

The four days of Benedict XVI in Turkey were truly a sign of hope for all, even for the pessimists of our time, and above all, the humble but powerful indication of the road to take.
==============================================================

*Since this article came out, it has been reported that Bartholomew I prpoosed to teh Pope that they both attend the next meeting of the joint theological commission in Ravenna. Italy's Byzantine capital, and that the Pope could well meet with Patriarch Alexei of Moscow next year on nrutral gound (a Benedictimne abbey in Hungary.

At the same time, however, there have been new belligerent statements from Alexei reiterating his accusation that the Catholic Church has been proselytizing among Orthodox faithful.

[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 09/12/2006 3.43]

Vatican officials gauge life span, geographic reach of Turkey visit

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
Dec. 8, 2006

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Buoyed by Pope Benedict XVI's successful visit to Turkey, Vatican officials began trying to gauge its long-term effect on ecumenical and Catholic-Muslim dialogue in other parts of the world.

Would the rave reviews and upbeat headlines carry over into coming weeks and months? And in the case of Islam, would the pope's outreach to a Muslim population on the edge of Europe make a similar impact in Arab and East Asian countries?

Vatican and other experts gave a tentative but hopeful "yes" to both questions. At the same time, they cautioned that ecumenical and interreligious dialogues are long projects, involving historical tensions that reach far beyond the 24-hour news cycle.

The most dramatic advance appeared to come in the Vatican's relationship with Islam.

Several observers said that by praying in a mosque next to an Islamic cleric the pope showed that prayer carries at least as much weight as intellectual arguments in the difficult dialogue between the two faiths.

"The pope's gesture in the Blue Mosque opens a new horizon in interreligious dialogue. It shows that prayer is the privileged path for the meeting between faithful of different religions," said Italian Bishop Vincenzo Paglia of Terni, a veteran organizer of interfaith meetings.

Vatican experts said the pope did not retreat from questions he raised in Regensburg, Germany, last September about Islam, reason and violence. In Turkey, too, the pope rejected violence in the name of religion; the difference was he clearly framed it in an expression of respect.

"The pope didn't change his mind about what he believes. But Regensburg was speaking about Muslims at a distance from them and that led to misunderstanding and bitterness. This visit injected an element of human contact, which is key to any serious dialogue," said Jesuit Father Daniel Madigan, director of the Institute for the Study of Religions and Culture at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and an adviser to the Vatican on Islamic issues.

"I think that will have a broader effect in the Islamic world. All the responses I'm getting from Muslims around the world are positive and saying we need to keep the momentum going," Father Madigan said.

Sources said the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue was making plans for a number of meetings with Islamic scholars and groups in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, focusing in part on the questions raised by 38 Islamic scholars in response to the pope's Regensburg speech.

"For these dialogues, the atmosphere created by the Turkey visit will be very important. They will not have to begin under the burden of getting things back on track again," said Jesuit Father Christian W. Troll, professor of Islamic studies at the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, Germany.

Father Troll, a key participant in a closed-door papal symposium on Islam last year, said the pope made it clear in Turkey that human dignity, human rights and especially religious freedom must be the measure for Christian-Muslim relations.

But he said the pope linked this message with the high regard the church has for Muslims. In doing so, the pope showed that there is no "changing mood" in the Catholic Church on dialogue with Islam, Father Troll said.

"When the pope stood in the mosque, he made it clear that Christians and Muslims belong together -- in our awareness of God and in our reverence. He brought out the common ground," he said.

Father Troll and others also believe the papal visit may have implications for the wider global debate over a potential "clash of civilizations" between the West and Islamic countries.

"First, people can see the church does not believe in this business of a 'clash of civilizations,'" Father Troll said.

Second, he said, is the question of Turkey's request for European Union membership, which has drawn some unexpected Vatican support.

Father Troll said the church appears to be encouraging Turkey and Europe to arrive at a form of cooperative coexistence -- diverse in faith, but allied in the "basic civilization outlook" based on peace, understanding and respect for human rights.

"If this does work out, Turkey could be a kind of laboratory for the wider problem between the West and the Islamic world," he said.

The ecumenical gains of Pope Benedict's trip to Turkey were less clear-cut.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican's chief ecumenist, said the joint declaration between the pope and Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople could open up new possibilities of dialogue "not only between Rome and Constantinople, but also between Rome and all the other Orthodox churches."

Cardinal Kasper, in remarks to Vatican Radio, referred to tentative plans to host the next meeting of the international Catholic-Orthodox theological commission next fall in Ravenna, Italy. Rumors have already circulated that the pope and Patriarch Bartholomew might personally open the meeting in order to give it added momentum.

One big question is how the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow will react to closer ties between the Vatican and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. As usual, there were mixed signals from Moscow after the Turkey trip.

Russian Orthodox Father Vsevolod Chaplin, vice chairman of the Moscow patriarchate's external relations department, told the Interfax news agency that the papal visit was "indisputably important" for the future of Catholic-Orthodox dialogue.

He said the joint declaration signed by the pope and Patriarch Bartholomew included "many correct thoughts about the development of the dialogue and cooperation between Orthodox and Catholic Christians." These points should be followed up in talks between the Vatican and individual Orthodox churches, he said.

Meanwhile, the Italian weekly Panorama reported that the Vatican may try to arrange a meeting in Hungary next year between Pope Benedict and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow, at a monastery that predates the East-West Christian schism of 1054.

Four days after the papal visit to Turkey, however, Patriarch Alexy renewed long-standing complaints of proselytism against the Catholic Church, and called on the Vatican to do something about it -- another reminder that ecumenical and interreligious dialogue require persistence and immense patience.

The pope’s love

12/8/2006
National Catholic Register (www.ncregister.com/)

Even angry opponents are touched by love.

A statue of the previous Pope Benedict, Benedict XV, was erected in Istanbul, Turkey, in thanks for his charity to “all people, regardless of nation or creed.” Now, in his historic visit, Pope Benedict XVI has shown the city a different kind of love.

Istanbul is a city with no great love for Catholicism. It was a great Christian city under siege by Muslims when the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus had his now-famous dialogue with a Persian scholar nearby. What he said about Islam and violence sparked fresh anger when Pope Benedict XVI quoted it more than 500 years later.

The world’s largest cathedral is in Istanbul – but it hasn’t been a cathedral for centuries. It taken over by attackers, functioned as a mosque for centuries, and is now a museum.

Istanbul is a city filled with hatred for Pope Benedict XVI in particular. A top-selling dimestore novel there told the story of a papal assassination. The pope is used to being driven through city streets lined with pilgrims and well-wishers, but when Istanbul’s streets were lined with people greeting the pope, they were likely to be protesters. So it was that when Pope Benedict XVI visited Istanbul, showing great respect for its people and speaking gently of reconciliation, the world media saw his behavior as capitulation, or even cowardice.

“The Pope Without His Sting” was the headline in The New York Times. If they were paying better attention, they would have seen that he was employing the sharper sting of charity.

After all, this is a pope who has been urgently calling the church to show such behavior in just such situations. In the introduction of his 2006 encyclical Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), the holy father gives a prophetic reason for his encyclical.

“In a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence, this message is both timely and significant,” he wrote. “For this reason, I wish in my first encyclical to speak of the love which God lavishes upon us and which we in turn must share with others.”

The love he showed in Turkey took humility and courage.

There were many expressions of his delicacy. Ali Bardakoglu, the chief of religious affairs in Turkey, has been very critical of the pope. So Benedict went to meet him and show his solidarity with him. This was seen by Turks as an important gesture of respect.

They were also very appreciative when the pope prayed to the one God at the Blue Mosque. His moment of meditation there avoided any appearance of concession to Islam – he didn’t kiss the Quran – but it did reflect the church’s regard and esteem for the religion.

Benedict even noted wryly at one event that Istanbul had received the honor of Capital of European Culture, and that Regensburg, Germany, never had. Regensburg is a city in which he spent many years teaching, but now it’s better known to us as the city where he spoke about Islam.

At the same time, the pope didn’t give an inch to pressure on any of the important issues of our time. Press reports missed the importance of the pope’s words about Turkey and the European Union. Pope Benedict did not call for Turkey’s full entrance into the EU. His joint statement with Patriarch Bartholomew tied that possibility to Turkey’s offering full religious freedom. In a country where the Christian churches are barely allowed to exist, that’s a challenge, not an endorsement.

Benedict also repeated the core message of his Regensburg address. He preached openly, again, that there is no room for violence in any religion worthy of the name.

In other words, he exemplified charity: deep respect for those who don’t believe, but the courage to say what needs to be said. We can learn from his lessons and apply them to our own lives. The holy father showed the way to deal with those with whom we have strong fundamental disagreements – disagreements regarding abortion, homosexuality, divorce and on and on – with humility and truth, both.

But his visit also teaches some lessons about charity that are bigger than our own lives.

One is that love strikes fear into the hearts of haters. Al Qaeda denounced the pope’s visit as a crusader campaign and whipped up sentiment against him. Thus, an organization of hatred and violence quaked and fussed over the visit of one man of love to a Muslim nation. And with good reason. A Dominican priest living in Iran said that there would be 1 million Christians there overnight if the government changed.

But more importantly, the pope showed how charity unites Christians and strengthens the weak so they can endure crushing burdens.

“This moment in my life I will treasure until the day I die,” an orthodox Christian told journalist Robert Moynihan. “It’s such a privilege to see the pope come into our church. I keep thinking: ‘It is really happening, after all.’ And: ‘Thank you, God! Even though they have tried to suppress everything, [Christianity] still lives.’”

Pilgrimage culminates with meeting with Pope

By BARBARA SHELLY
Columnist
Kansas City.Com
Posted on Fri, Dec. 08, 2006

Observed from afar, Pope Benedict XVI’s travels in Turkey last week transpired more quietly than many had expected. The Catholic leader spent four days as a guest of a Muslim nation he had offended with previous remarks and left with good feelings.

Up close, though, a papal appearance never lacks for drama. One man is back from Turkey with a story to tell and a family tradition intact.

Most days Bill Quatman is a lawyer in Kansas City. Last week he was a pilgrim in the Turkish city of Ephesus, with a ticket to an outdoor Mass at the ancient home that Catholics believe was the last refuge of Mary, the mother of Christ.

In a gesture that would be related in news accounts and photos worldwide, the pope walked up to the crowd for handshakes, then reached for a large Turkish flag and waved it. After that he settled into Mass.

Quatman had returned to his seat after receiving Communion when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

The man spoke Italian and had the air of someone in charge. He motioned to Quatman to accompany him.

“English, please,” Quatman implored his escort.

The man looked at him and said, “You are going to be introduced to the pope.”

The story of Quatman’s encounter with Benedict XVI actually begins with his grandfather’s pilgrimage to Ephesus in 1955.

George B. Quatman had been orphaned before his second birthday. His mother, on her deathbed in Lima, Ohio, begged her parish priest to care for her son. The priest, Francis Quatman, adopted George from an orphanage.

As part of his extensive Catholic education, George Quatman learned that many early Christians had sought safety in the port city of Ephesus. Mary is believed to have lived the last years of her life in a stone house there, and the apostle John is believed to be buried nearby.

But when George arrived in Turkey, he was dismayed to find the ancient Christian shrines in shambles.

George Quatman, an inventor and businessman, had made money in the telephone industry. He founded the American Society of Ephesus, which over the years has financed the repair of Mary’s house; St. John’s Basilica, where the apostle’s tomb is believed located; and a church.

George Quatman died in 1965. His sons took over the supervision of the American Society of Ephesus.

Now it’s a third generation’s turn. Bill Quatman, 49, was sitting in a barber’s chair in Brookside when a cousin rang his cell phone and asked, “Is your passport in order?”

Quatman and two cousins traveled to Ephesus. They met with Turkish officials and members of a Christian men’s association, which maintains the historical sites.

“None of us had visited Ephesus before,” Quatman said. “We came away thinking that we need to keep (the work) going.”

Quatman had grown up listening to the story of his father’s 1967 trip to Turkey, when he met Pope Paul VI and received a papal medal.

Now Quatman was following the Italian official to a set of steps, where a line of cardinals, bishops and others was waiting to meet the pope.

In an e-mail to family at home, Quatman described his encounter: “I took his right hand, kissed his large gold ring, introduced myself to ‘His Holiness’ and told him what an honor it was to meet him. An assistant handed me a lovely green box with the papal seal. Before I knew it I was off the stage, and the pope was leaving to the cheers of the crowd.”

Later he found that the box contained a papal medal.

The big story out of Turkey last week was that Benedict XVI defused tensions with Muslims by praying in the direction of Mecca and backing off his stance that Turkey should be barred from the European Union.

But the stories within the big story are often the most compelling. Quatman’s contribution is that of an extraordinary family legacy, which began with one man determined to set something right.