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Cardinal Ratzinger: No place for Turkey in EU
Aljazeera.net
11 August 2004
The Catholic Church's most senior theologian says Turkey should not
attempt to join the European Union because it is a majority Muslim
country with Muslim roots.
Turkey should seek its future in an association of Muslim nations
rather than try to join a European community with Christian roots, the
Vatican's Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said in an interview distributed
on Wednesday.
The doctrinal head of the Roman Catholic Church said Turkey had always
been "in permanent contrast to Europe" and linking it to Europe would
be a mistake.
He also told a French magazine that the European Union should continue
to debate the issue of its Christian heritage, a discussion that
appeared to be closed in June when the EU adopted a constitution that
avoided any mention of Christianity.
Islamic heritage
A secular state with a majority Muslim population, Turkey has been
introducing political reforms to bolster its bid to open entry
negotiations with the EU, which is due to decide in December whether
to launch accession talks.
"In the course of history, Turkey has always represented a different
continent, in permanent contrast to Europe," Ratzinger said, noting
that the Ottoman Empire once threatened Vienna and fought wars in
the Balkans.
"Making the two continents identical would be a mistake," he said. "It
would mean a loss of richness, the disappearance of the cultural to
the benefit of economics."
The German-born cardinal said Turkey "could try to set up a cultural
continent with neighbouring Arab countries and become the leading
figure of a culture with its own identity".
Ratzinger, who heads the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, said this would not exclude cooperation between such a
Muslim community and the European Union.
Both could work together to fight "fundamentalism", he added.
Europe mistaken
The cardinal said the Vatican supported the separation of church and
state but thought the EU was wrong to ignore what he said was the
historical fact that its heritage was Christian.
"We should continue the debate on this question because I fear that
behind this opposition hides a hatred Europe has against itself and
its great history," he said.
Asked about the force of secularism in France, which has recently
banned Muslim headscarves in state schools, Ratzinger said "aggressive
secularism" would provoke Muslims to become more religious, rather
than counter it.
"There is a rejection of a world that refuses to recognise God or
respect the sacred," he said.
"This loss of the sense of the sacred and respect for others provokes
a reaction of self-defence in the Arab and Islamic world."
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/ECEE591F-A4ED-46BE-8784-1459F23710E2.htm
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Aljazeera.net
11 August 2004
The Catholic Church's most senior theologian says Turkey should not
attempt to join the European Union because it is a majority Muslim
country with Muslim roots.
Turkey should seek its future in an association of Muslim nations
rather than try to join a European community with Christian roots, the
Vatican's Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said in an interview distributed
on Wednesday.
The doctrinal head of the Roman Catholic Church said Turkey had always
been "in permanent contrast to Europe" and linking it to Europe would
be a mistake.
He also told a French magazine that the European Union should continue
to debate the issue of its Christian heritage, a discussion that
appeared to be closed in June when the EU adopted a constitution that
avoided any mention of Christianity.
Islamic heritage
A secular state with a majority Muslim population, Turkey has been
introducing political reforms to bolster its bid to open entry
negotiations with the EU, which is due to decide in December whether
to launch accession talks.
"In the course of history, Turkey has always represented a different
continent, in permanent contrast to Europe," Ratzinger said, noting
that the Ottoman Empire once threatened Vienna and fought wars in
the Balkans.
"Making the two continents identical would be a mistake," he said. "It
would mean a loss of richness, the disappearance of the cultural to
the benefit of economics."
The German-born cardinal said Turkey "could try to set up a cultural
continent with neighbouring Arab countries and become the leading
figure of a culture with its own identity".
Ratzinger, who heads the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, said this would not exclude cooperation between such a
Muslim community and the European Union.
Both could work together to fight "fundamentalism", he added.
Europe mistaken
The cardinal said the Vatican supported the separation of church and
state but thought the EU was wrong to ignore what he said was the
historical fact that its heritage was Christian.
"We should continue the debate on this question because I fear that
behind this opposition hides a hatred Europe has against itself and
its great history," he said.
Asked about the force of secularism in France, which has recently
banned Muslim headscarves in state schools, Ratzinger said "aggressive
secularism" would provoke Muslims to become more religious, rather
than counter it.
"There is a rejection of a world that refuses to recognise God or
respect the sacred," he said.
"This loss of the sense of the sacred and respect for others provokes
a reaction of self-defence in the Arab and Islamic world."
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/ECEE591F-A4ED-46BE-8784-1459F23710E2.htm
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress