Pope

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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI will meet in Turkey.

During the pope's Nov. 28-Dec. 1 visit to the predominantly Muslim nation, he will also visit a symbol of Turkey's official commitment to secularism — the mausoleum of the Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who is honored as the founder of the modern Turkish state.

[Joseph]

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI will meet in Turkey.

During the pope's Nov. 28-Dec. 1 visit to the predominantly Muslim nation, he will also visit a symbol of Turkey's official commitment to secularism — the mausoleum of the Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who is honored as the founder of the modern Turkish state.

It's pretty much an obligatory gesture for any foreign dignitary to visit his masoleum. To not do so would throw the turks into hysterics.

[Joseph]

It's pretty much an obligatory gesture for any foreign dignitary to visit his masoleum. To not do so would throw the turks into hysterics.

Anti-pope protest planned for Istanbul
Ankara - A pro-Islamic political party in Turkey is hoping for as many as 100,000 people will turn out in Istanbul on Sunday, November 26, to protest against the upcoming visit to Turkey by Pope Benedict XVI.
According to a press release issued by the Saadet (Happiness) Party on Monday, the protesters will march under the banner "Don't let the ignorant and sly pope come to Turkey."
Muslims in Turkey and across the world were outraged when the pope made a speech in Germany in September in which he quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor as saying that Islam is a religion spread by the sword.
Pope Benedict XVI has since expressed his regret that the comments caused offence.
Turkish authorities are believed to organizing an enormous security operation for the pope's November 28 to December 1 visit.
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Published: 11/20/2006
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[Joseph]

This visit should prove interesting.


The Sunday Times - World



The Sunday Times November 26, 2006

Pope flies into a Turkish cauldron
Matthew Campbell, Istanbul

WITH his thick black moustache he looks a bit like Borat, the Kazakh journalist in the hit Hollywood film, but Kemal Kerincsiz, a lawyer, is far from comical when he inveighs against enemies of the Turkish state.
The latest target of his displeasure is Pope Benedict XVI. Kerincsiz has led an energetic campaign to halt the visit of the 79-year-old pontiff, arriving on Tuesday, on the grounds that it is part of a “foreign plot” against Turkey. Not only had the Pope insulted Islam in a speech he made in September, Kerincsiz said, but he was planning a “provocative” meeting in Istanbul with the head of Orthodox Christianity. “We do not want him here. He should not come.”

Behind him on his office wall was a poster of the Pope as a fanged serpent which Kerincsiz has been handing out to supporters. He has also been bombarding government offices with “Stop the Pope” e-mails and faxes. Today he will attend a big demonstration against the Pope in Istanbul.

The Pope could hardly have picked a trickier moment for his visit, just as debate is reaching a bitter climax over whether to let Turkey and its 70m, predominantly Muslim, citizens into the European Union.

America and Britain are strongly in favour of keeping Turkey firmly in the western fold but Kerincsiz and his Lawyers’ Union are part of a nationalist movement trying to pull it in the other direction. Recent events, from the Pope’s comments about Islam to French efforts to outlaw denial of the Turkish massacre of Armenians at the end of the first world war, have worked in their favour.

The ultimate goal is to revive the Ottoman empire but, for the time being, they must content themselves with a campaign to defend Turkey against enemies.

It was Kerincsiz who brought a lawsuit against Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel prize-winning author, earlier this year for accusing Turkey of genocide against Armenians. “The Armenians were deported, not killed,” he insisted.

All of this risks jeopardising the country’s drive to modernity and it is little surprise that talks with the EU on Turkish membership have recently turned sour.

An increasingly impatient Brussels has repeatedly called on Turkey to repeal article 301, the law being used by Kerincsiz to attack freedom of speech. On Thursday, in a development unlikely to cheer the Pope, two Christians went on trial under article 301 for insulting “Turkishness” and inciting religious hatred while trying to convert Turks to Christianity.

Brussels has given Turkey until December 6 to let Cypriot ships into its ports or risk seeing its application for EU membership rejected. This has put Turks in an angry sulk over the “crusader mentality” of the Europeans, hardly an encouraging context for a papal visit.

The Pope once warned that letting Turkey into the EU would be “a grave error against the tide of history” and he has become, for many, a symbol of western hostility towards Turkey.

For Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the moderate prime minister, it is an extremely unwelcome predicament. An election is looming next year and in order not to alienate voters he has pleaded a prior engagement — a Nato summit in Riga — to avoid going anywhere near the Pope.

Muslim protests against the pontiff will not go down well in Brussels, reviving perennial speculation about the threat to the strong, secular democracy established by Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.

A draconian security plan involving 12,000 policemen is being implemented in Istanbul to prevent any violent backlash against the Pope. Snipers will be posted on rooftops. Sewers will be searched for bombs.

The authorities are right to be nervous. There has been a string of attacks against Christian clergymen since the Pope’s speech in September when he quoted a 14th-century Byzantine leader as saying that the Muslims had spread their faith “by the sword” and brought things “only evil and inhuman”.

Earlier this month, a man fired a pistol in the air outside the Italian consulate in Istanbul, shouting slogans against the Pope, whose predecessor, John Paul II, was shot in the stomach by a Turkish assailant in Rome.
On Wednesday, tourists were removed by police from the 6th-century Byzantine Hagia Sophia Church, a famous Istanbul landmark, when about 100 nationalists staged an anti-Pope protest. The church was converted into a mosque when the Ottomans conquered the city — Constantinople, as it was known — in 1453, but is now a museum and one of the venues on the papal itinerary.

For today’s demonstration, an Islamist party is planning to ferry around 75,000 people on buses into Istanbul. Kerincsiz said his group was planning to stage other protests during the visit but did not support violence.

Not yet at least. Instead of membership of the EU, he advocates restoration of a Turkic empire stretching from former Ottoman provinces in the Balkans right up into Central Asia. Achieving this would presumably involve a certain amount of swordplay.

It matters little to him that Atatürk, his hero whose portrait hangs in his office, was in favour of westernisation, urging his citizens to waltz and wear western clothes and introducing a Roman alphabet and Swiss penal code. “Being in the EU, we would not be able to restore our empire,” said Kerincsiz.

He is helped by growing frustration over sacrifices being demanded by Brussels. A poll last week showed that 60% were in favour of halting talks with the EU. “The attitude seems to be that if you don’t want us, we certainly don’t want you,” said a western diplomat. “Turkey feels terribly unloved.”

Turks are notoriously sensitive about how they are seen in the West. It explains what happened in Washington last week when one of Turkey’s top army generals stormed out of the White House in protest after guards tried to frisk him before a meeting.

Try bargaining in Istanbul and see what happens. “Do you think that you can pay what you like just because we are in Turkey and not in London?” complained an irate shop owner when a tourist offered less than what seemed an exorbitant amount for a ceramic pot.

Because of the prospect, albeit distant, of becoming part of the EU, the economy is booming — it attracts more foreign investment than any other Mediterranean country — and by reducing the political role of the army and curbing abuses of human rights Turkey has taken big steps towards Europe. Yet in Turkish eyes, Europe keeps asking for more: “We will never satisfy them,” said Cengiz Bilgin, a teacher. “It is clear they don’t really want us in their club.”

The argument appears to be gaining ground and the growth of Kerincsiz’s group to 800 members in Istanbul alone over the past few years suggests that he may have a future.

Call for end to anti-Christian laws

The Pope will stand up for Christian minority rights on his visit to Turkey this week, writes Christopher Morgan. According to advisers, he will call for an end to Turkey’s anti-Christian discrimination laws that make it difficult for churches to own property and run seminaries. Cardinal Walter Kasper said: “The treatment of Christian minorities will have to be sorted out if Turkey is to join the European Union.” Under EU pressure, Turkey passed a law this month strengthening Christian churches’ property rights, but Orthodox leaders say this is not enough. Call for end to anti-Christian laws

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Pope tries to build bridges on first visit to a Muslim country


· Muted protests as PM agrees to meeting
· Benedict voices support for Turkey's EU ambitions

Ian Traynor in Ankara
Wednesday November 29, 2006
The Guardian

[Joseph]

Pope tries to build bridges on first visit to a Muslim country


· Muted protests as PM agrees to meeting
· Benedict voices support for Turkey's EU ambitions

Ian Traynor in Ankara
Wednesday November 29, 2006
The Guardian

The Pope is in the middle lions den, of course he's going to say positive things about Turkey and Islam. Can you possibly conceive that he is making those comments under duress? Furthermore, while it may appear that he has changed his position regarding Turkey's membership process in the EU, it looks as if the EU is moving to suspend the talks.

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The Times November 30, 2006


Pope comes through most dangerous day
Richard Owen in Ephesus



Read Irshad Manji's analysis of the Pope in Turkey

Ankara and the Vatican breathed a joint sigh of relief yesterday as the Pope arrived in Istanbul for the last leg of his four-day trip after holding a Mass at a Marian shrine on a hillside at Ephesus — the only open air event of the journey.


The Pope honoured a priest murdered in Turkey, and offered encouragement to the Catholic minority in a country where a number of priests have been attacked.

Both Turkish and Vatican officials had felt that the Mass, at the House of the Virgin Mary — where the mother of Jesus is traditionally held to have died — was the point at which the Pope would be most at risk from Islamic extremists.

At yesterday’s mass, one of the smallest any Pope has celebrated, he referred to Turkey’s Christian community as “a small minority which faces many challenges and difficulties daily”. He paid tribute to Father Andrea Santoro, an Italian priest murdered at the altar of his church in February.

But the overall tone was upbeat, with the Vatican determined to build on the positive mood created on Tuesday when he said he “favoured” Turkey’s bid for EU membership, and called for Christian-Muslim reconciliation.

Yesterday he appealed to the Virgin Mary to grant peace in the Middle East and around the world, noting that she was venerated by Muslims as well: “Let us sing joyfully, even when we are tested by dangers.”

[Joseph]

Commentary: Guest Columnist
Pope did not change stance on Turkey and EU
New York Times blows it: Benedict XVI said he views positively the process of Turkey's EU admission, but minority rights must be respected.


Thursday, November 30, 2006
by William Donohue | Tags: pope in turkey, media. european union




Catholic League president Bill Donohue said today, “It is one of most embarrassing journalistic blunders to have occurred in some time. All the news reports which said that Pope Benedict XVI now supports the admission of Turkey into the European Union were wrong. He never said any such thing. Here is what happened.

“Yesterday, the headline of a front-page article in the New York Times read, ‘In Reversal, Pope Backs Turkey’s Bid to Join European Union.’ It quoted Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s comment that the pope told him that ‘we wish for Turkey’s entry into the E.U.’ The problem is that the pope’s version of what he allegedly said was nowhere reported, and that’s because he never commented on the brief conversation that was held at the airport. But now he has spoken. Here is a quote made today by the pope and Patriarch Bartholomew in their ‘Common Declaration’:

We have viewed positively the process that has led to the formation of the European Union. Those engaged in this great project should not fail to take into consideration all aspects affecting the inalienable rights of the human person, especially religious freedom....In every step towards unification, minorities must be respected, with their cultural traditions and the distinguishing features of their religion.

“In other words, Pope Benedict XVI has not flip-flopped: admission of Turkey into the European Union is conditioned on its willingness to respect the religious rights of minorities (something it has failed to do).

“The most accurate journalistic source was Bloomberg News. The most accurately worded editorial appears in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer. The most flagrantly inaccurate editorial is in today’s Newsday: ‘Tuesday, he [the pope] admitted he was wrong and reversed his stance, offering full support to Turkey in its long-stalled efforts to join the EU.’

“There is more than carelessness involved here. Some hate the Catholic Church so much they can’t wait to try to prove the pope wrong. Looks like the Holy Father got the last laugh.”


William Donohue is president of Catholic League which defends the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination.

[Joseph]

Hovik,

Can you move this thread to the General Forum? Thanks.

[Joseph]

Skepticism in Europe greets pope's remark on Turkey and EU
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
International Herald Tribune

Speaking as pope and diplomat this week, Pope Benedict XVI appeared to reverse his prior position, telling Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey that he wished "for Turkey's entry into the European Union," according to the prime minister's account of the meeting.

But it was unclear Wednesday whether the pope's remarks represented a genuine shift in his policy or what impact they might have on Turkey's chances to join the EU.

Many commentators in Europe noted that the pope's endorsement had been reported only by Erdogan.

A Vatican statement encouraged "the road of dialogue" but did not specifically support EU membership, adding that the Vatican "had neither the power nor the specific political task."

But many analysts said politicians in the European Union were unlikely to feel much pressure as a result of any papal remarks. After all, Benedict has been campaigning vigorously - and unsuccessfully - to have a statement acknowledging the "Christian roots of Europe" added to the European constitution, said Sandro Magister, a Vatican columnist with the Italian magazine L'Espresso.

"The weight of the Holy See isn't high in this terrain," he said. "But certainly its support is another card Turkey can play in its bid to gain entry to the EU."

Two years ago, the pontiff, then Cardinal Josef Ratzinger and the head of the Vatican's most powerful body on Catholic dogma, called Turkey's potential admission "a grave error."

Even as some Turkish media expressed satisfaction with the pope's apparent endorsement of EU membership, political analysts across Europe were skeptical of his intent as well as his ability to influence European politics.

"In my view, it was a desperate diplomatic statement to save his visit to Turkey," said Luccio Caraciollo, editor of the Italian foreign policy journal Limes. The pope enraged the Muslim world this summer with a speech that quoted a medieval ruler calling Islam a religion based on violence.

"And I don't think it will change history because the Catholic Church - and this pope in particular - doesn't have much effect on public opinion," Caraciollo continued. "Stereotypes about Turkey are so deep that a few words from the pope won't change them."

In Turkey, some political commentators said that the pope's visit was "important for Turkey's EU membership," in the words of Guneri Civaoglu in the newspaper Milliyet, who added, "This is a big warning for conservative politicians who think the EU is a Christian Club."

Some EU experts said that the main reaction among the pope's conservative base would be uncertainty. Elmar Brok, a member of the Christian Democratic Party of Germany, said he believed that the pope's statement had been misinterpreted, a comment that was echoed in many German newspapers. He noted that official Vatican statements from Turkey merely discussed integrating Turkey into "Europe, not the EU," which he said did not necessarily mean EU membership.

He said his party continued to advocate a "privileged partnership" with Turkey instead of full membership. "Our position on the issue has not changed," he said, adding: "In any case, I defer to the pope only in questions of faith."

Some Vatican scholars cautioned that the apparent shift was not so much a Vatican reversal as a change in tone from a man who had moved from theologian to diplomat.

The Vatican has never officially opposed Turkey's entry into the EU, so long as it met the bloc's standards for entry, especially religious freedom, Vatican experts said. In an interview with the Catholic daily newspaper Avvenire, published Sunday, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states, Dominique Mamberti, said that the Vatican had "never expressed an official position."

But Vatican officials have repeatedly raised concerns about the "cultural differences" between Europe and Turkey, stressing the importance of a Christian Europe.

Many felt the pope, still new to the job, may have tried to compensate for what they considered a poor choice of words in Germany this summer with another confusing statement.