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Catholic Online, CA
Dec 1 2006
Walk in harmony with Muslims, pope urges Christians at pilgrimage end
By John Thavis
12/1/2006
Catholic News Service
ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNS) - Closing out a four-day pilgrimage of
dialogue in Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass with the tiny
Christian community in Istanbul and encouraged it to live in harmony
with the Muslim majority.
POPE RELEASES DOVE OUTSIDE TURKISH CATHEDRAL - Pope Benedict XVI
releases a dove Dec. 1 during a visit to the Cathedral of the Holy
Spirit in Istanbul, Turkey, on the final day of his four-day visit to
the Muslim country. (CNS/Reuters)
"Brothers and sisters, your communities walk the humble path of daily
companionship with those who do not share our faith, yet profess to
hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us adore the one,
merciful God," the pope said in a sermon.
"You know well that the church wishes to impose nothing on anyone,
and that she merely asks to live in freedom, in order to reveal the
one whom she cannot hide, Christ Jesus," he said.
About 300 people packed into the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit for the
Dec. 1 Mass. Several hundred more stood in the cathedral's inner
plaza and in the courtyard of a nearby church, following the liturgy
on a TV screen.
Turkey has only 32,000 Catholics in a population of 72 million. Most
of them live in Istanbul, which has for centuries been a bridge to
the West.
The pope, wearing red vestments to mark the work of the Holy Spirit,
processed into the small church and listened as Armenian Catholics
chanted the entrance song. A Chaldean choir of youths, dressed in
blue tunics, sang a hymn in Aramaic.
The seven languages used in the liturgy were meant to express the
diversity of the Catholic community in Turkey.
The pope paid tribute to this rich variety, asking Turkish Catholics
to continue to live the faith in a humble manner with a sense of
service to others.
"To live by the Spirit is not to live for oneself alone, but to let
oneself be conformed to Christ Jesus by becoming, like him, the
servant of his brothers and sisters," he said.
As a minority in a Muslim country, he said, Catholics should be
attentive to all those who seek justice, peace and dignity.
"Live in harmony, in accordance with the words of the Lord: 'By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for
one another,'" he said.
To one side of the altar sat Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew of Constantinople, who had hosted the pope the day before
in a liturgy at his Istanbul headquarters, the ecumenical focus of
the pope's visit.
The pope recalled that his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, in a Mass
26 years earlier in the same cathedral, had urged new efforts for
full Christian unity. Unfortunately, Pope Benedict said, that hope
has not yet been realized, but "the pope still longs to see it
fulfilled."
He urged all Christian leaders to act for the good of all, "putting
ecumenism at the forefront of our ecclesial concerns and not
committing our respective churches and communities to decisions that
could contradict or harm it."
Those words appeared to refer to potential problems not so much with
Orthodox churches as with the Anglican Communion. Several Anglican
member churches have decided to ordain women priests and some to
ordain women bishops, decisions the Vatican says create a serious
barrier to full union with the Catholic Church.
Patriarch Bartholomew joined the pope for the final blessing. Then
the pope processed down the main aisle, smiling broadly and greeting
many of the enthusiastic faithful who reached out from either side.
One man waved a Turkish flag.
Before the Mass, the pope blessed the statues of two popes in the
courtyard of the cathedral: Pope John XXIII, who served for 10 years
as apostolic nuncio in Turkey and was considered a good friend of the
country; and Pope Benedict XV, who during World War I built hospitals
in the region and made diplomatic moves in favor of Turkish
prisoners.
The larger-than-life bronze statue of Pope Benedict XV was unveiled
in 1921, at a ceremony attended by many Muslim Turks. It bears an
inscription hailing the pontiff as "the benefactor of all peoples,
regardless of nationality or religion."
After blessing the statues, the pope released four doves, one at a
time, as a symbol of peace.
The Mass was the final event of a trip that included political and
ecumenical encounters. Before leaving for Rome from Istanbul's
airport, the pope thanked city authorities and told them, "I am
leaving a part of my heart in Istanbul."
The evening before, several hundred young Catholics paid an
unscheduled visit to the pope's residence at the apostolic nunciature
in Istanbul. After they prayed and sang outside his window for more
than a half-hour, the pope came to the window and offered a blessing
and words of appreciation, telling the young people he would always
keep them in his prayers.
Earlier Nov. 30, the pope joined Armenian Orthodox Patriarch Mesrob
II at his cathedral in Istanbul for a prayer service. The pope spoke
again of the importance of ecumenism, in view of the "tragic
divisions" among Christians that "give scandal to the world."
"Precisely by the witness of their faith and love, Christians are
called to offer a radiant sign of hope and consolation to this world,
so marked by conflicts and tensions," the pope said.
"We must continue, therefore, to do everything possible to heal the
wounds of separation and to hasten the work of rebuilding Christian
unity," he said.
The pope also appeared to refer indirectly to the Armenian massacre
when he said that the faith of Armenian Catholics has been
transmitted "often in very tragic circumstances, such as those
experienced in the last century."
An estimated 1.5 million Armenians - more than half the Armenian
population at the time - died in a forced evacuation by Ottoman Turks
in 1915-18. Turkey rejects the accusation of genocide, saying the
deaths were due largely to disease and famine.
In private encounters later that evening at the apostolic nunciature,
the pope met with Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan Filuksinos Yusuf Cetin
and with Turkish Chief Rabbi Ishak Haleva.
Dec 1 2006
Walk in harmony with Muslims, pope urges Christians at pilgrimage end
By John Thavis
12/1/2006
Catholic News Service
ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNS) - Closing out a four-day pilgrimage of
dialogue in Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass with the tiny
Christian community in Istanbul and encouraged it to live in harmony
with the Muslim majority.
POPE RELEASES DOVE OUTSIDE TURKISH CATHEDRAL - Pope Benedict XVI
releases a dove Dec. 1 during a visit to the Cathedral of the Holy
Spirit in Istanbul, Turkey, on the final day of his four-day visit to
the Muslim country. (CNS/Reuters)
"Brothers and sisters, your communities walk the humble path of daily
companionship with those who do not share our faith, yet profess to
hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us adore the one,
merciful God," the pope said in a sermon.
"You know well that the church wishes to impose nothing on anyone,
and that she merely asks to live in freedom, in order to reveal the
one whom she cannot hide, Christ Jesus," he said.
About 300 people packed into the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit for the
Dec. 1 Mass. Several hundred more stood in the cathedral's inner
plaza and in the courtyard of a nearby church, following the liturgy
on a TV screen.
Turkey has only 32,000 Catholics in a population of 72 million. Most
of them live in Istanbul, which has for centuries been a bridge to
the West.
The pope, wearing red vestments to mark the work of the Holy Spirit,
processed into the small church and listened as Armenian Catholics
chanted the entrance song. A Chaldean choir of youths, dressed in
blue tunics, sang a hymn in Aramaic.
The seven languages used in the liturgy were meant to express the
diversity of the Catholic community in Turkey.
The pope paid tribute to this rich variety, asking Turkish Catholics
to continue to live the faith in a humble manner with a sense of
service to others.
"To live by the Spirit is not to live for oneself alone, but to let
oneself be conformed to Christ Jesus by becoming, like him, the
servant of his brothers and sisters," he said.
As a minority in a Muslim country, he said, Catholics should be
attentive to all those who seek justice, peace and dignity.
"Live in harmony, in accordance with the words of the Lord: 'By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for
one another,'" he said.
To one side of the altar sat Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew of Constantinople, who had hosted the pope the day before
in a liturgy at his Istanbul headquarters, the ecumenical focus of
the pope's visit.
The pope recalled that his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, in a Mass
26 years earlier in the same cathedral, had urged new efforts for
full Christian unity. Unfortunately, Pope Benedict said, that hope
has not yet been realized, but "the pope still longs to see it
fulfilled."
He urged all Christian leaders to act for the good of all, "putting
ecumenism at the forefront of our ecclesial concerns and not
committing our respective churches and communities to decisions that
could contradict or harm it."
Those words appeared to refer to potential problems not so much with
Orthodox churches as with the Anglican Communion. Several Anglican
member churches have decided to ordain women priests and some to
ordain women bishops, decisions the Vatican says create a serious
barrier to full union with the Catholic Church.
Patriarch Bartholomew joined the pope for the final blessing. Then
the pope processed down the main aisle, smiling broadly and greeting
many of the enthusiastic faithful who reached out from either side.
One man waved a Turkish flag.
Before the Mass, the pope blessed the statues of two popes in the
courtyard of the cathedral: Pope John XXIII, who served for 10 years
as apostolic nuncio in Turkey and was considered a good friend of the
country; and Pope Benedict XV, who during World War I built hospitals
in the region and made diplomatic moves in favor of Turkish
prisoners.
The larger-than-life bronze statue of Pope Benedict XV was unveiled
in 1921, at a ceremony attended by many Muslim Turks. It bears an
inscription hailing the pontiff as "the benefactor of all peoples,
regardless of nationality or religion."
After blessing the statues, the pope released four doves, one at a
time, as a symbol of peace.
The Mass was the final event of a trip that included political and
ecumenical encounters. Before leaving for Rome from Istanbul's
airport, the pope thanked city authorities and told them, "I am
leaving a part of my heart in Istanbul."
The evening before, several hundred young Catholics paid an
unscheduled visit to the pope's residence at the apostolic nunciature
in Istanbul. After they prayed and sang outside his window for more
than a half-hour, the pope came to the window and offered a blessing
and words of appreciation, telling the young people he would always
keep them in his prayers.
Earlier Nov. 30, the pope joined Armenian Orthodox Patriarch Mesrob
II at his cathedral in Istanbul for a prayer service. The pope spoke
again of the importance of ecumenism, in view of the "tragic
divisions" among Christians that "give scandal to the world."
"Precisely by the witness of their faith and love, Christians are
called to offer a radiant sign of hope and consolation to this world,
so marked by conflicts and tensions," the pope said.
"We must continue, therefore, to do everything possible to heal the
wounds of separation and to hasten the work of rebuilding Christian
unity," he said.
The pope also appeared to refer indirectly to the Armenian massacre
when he said that the faith of Armenian Catholics has been
transmitted "often in very tragic circumstances, such as those
experienced in the last century."
An estimated 1.5 million Armenians - more than half the Armenian
population at the time - died in a forced evacuation by Ottoman Turks
in 1915-18. Turkey rejects the accusation of genocide, saying the
deaths were due largely to disease and famine.
In private encounters later that evening at the apostolic nunciature,
the pope met with Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan Filuksinos Yusuf Cetin
and with Turkish Chief Rabbi Ishak Haleva.