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DIALOGUE WITH ISLAM OR CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST MUSLIMS?
Mehr News Agency, Iran
Nov 29 2006
TEHRAN, Nov. 29 (MNA) -- Pope Benedict XVI began his four-day visit
to Turkey on Tuesday with the eyes of the world upon him.
The Pope's visit to Turkey is his first visit to an Islamic country
and comes after his remarks about Islam that caused an uproar in
Muslim nations.
Many analysts believe that the trip to Turkey was arranged to
rehabilitate the tarnished image of the Pope and the Vatican among
Muslims and to reinvigorate efforts to begin a dialogue between Islam
and Christianity.
Pope John Paul II visited Turkey two times to promote relations
between Turkey and the Vatican, and thus the Turkish nation got a
positive image of him.
However, the new pope does not enjoy a positive image with Islamist
or secular nationalist Turks.
Turkish Muslims expect the Pope to officially apologize for insulting
Islam. However, he still has not yet apologized for his remarks,
and this has increased the displeasure of Turkish Islamists.
In addition, Turks who support their country's accession to the
European Union are dissatisfied with the Pope's attitude toward Turkey.
Commenting on the possibility of Turkey joining the European Union in
August 2004, before being elected leader of the world's Catholics,
when he was known as Cardinal Ratzinger, in an interview with the
French daily Le Figaro, he said, "Europe is a cultural continent,
not a geographical one. It is its culture that gives it a common
identity... In this sense, throughout history Turkey has always
represented another continent, in permanent contrast with Europe.
There were the wars against the Byzantine Empire, the fall of
Constantinople, the Balkan wars and the threat against Vienna and
Austria. That is why I think it would be an error to equate the two
continents. It would mean a loss of richness, the disappearance of
culture for the sake of economic benefits."
There were centuries of conflict between Turkey and Christian Europe
before World War I, and European countries used all their energy,
even the power of the Catholic Church, to bring an end to the Ottoman
Empire.
The Catholic Church exaggerated the threat posed by this Muslim empire
and its impact on European and Christian values.
In modern times, in order to pressure Ankara, the European Union, the
Vatican, and human rights organizations have perpetually brought up
the longstanding charge that the Turkish government has always imposed
limitations on the activities of Christians and churches in Turkey.
A unique point of the Pope's visit to Turkey is his meeting with
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople,
which has attracted the attention of all the world's Catholic and
Orthodox Christians.
The leader of the Orthodox Christians of the United States has told
Reuters that above and beyond the goal of jumpstarting the dialogue
between Muslims and Christians, the main objective of Pope Benedict's
visit to Turkey is to bring the two churches closer together.
Although the thousand-year dispute between the Orthodox and the
Catholic churches is still alive, it is expected that the two religious
leaders will make an agreement during the landmark visit as a first
step to bridging the chasm.
According to some experts, the rise of secularism in Europe and the
rise of Islamism in the Islamic world have inspired efforts to unite
the Catholics and the Orthodox.
The Turkish Constitution has imposed certain restrictions on the
100,000 Christian inhabitants of Turkey, who are mainly Orthodox
Armenians or Greeks, but the Pope's visit to Turkey may result in
some improvement in their conditions.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government is currently in the midst of a crisis
in its relations with the European Union and a rise in opposition to
its desire to join the EU.
Yet, Ankara is determined to make optimal use of the Pope's visit to
introduce Turkey as a bridge between Islam and the West in order to
improve its relations with the European Union and garner the pontiff's
approval for its accession to the EU.
Mehr News Agency, Iran
Nov 29 2006
TEHRAN, Nov. 29 (MNA) -- Pope Benedict XVI began his four-day visit
to Turkey on Tuesday with the eyes of the world upon him.
The Pope's visit to Turkey is his first visit to an Islamic country
and comes after his remarks about Islam that caused an uproar in
Muslim nations.
Many analysts believe that the trip to Turkey was arranged to
rehabilitate the tarnished image of the Pope and the Vatican among
Muslims and to reinvigorate efforts to begin a dialogue between Islam
and Christianity.
Pope John Paul II visited Turkey two times to promote relations
between Turkey and the Vatican, and thus the Turkish nation got a
positive image of him.
However, the new pope does not enjoy a positive image with Islamist
or secular nationalist Turks.
Turkish Muslims expect the Pope to officially apologize for insulting
Islam. However, he still has not yet apologized for his remarks,
and this has increased the displeasure of Turkish Islamists.
In addition, Turks who support their country's accession to the
European Union are dissatisfied with the Pope's attitude toward Turkey.
Commenting on the possibility of Turkey joining the European Union in
August 2004, before being elected leader of the world's Catholics,
when he was known as Cardinal Ratzinger, in an interview with the
French daily Le Figaro, he said, "Europe is a cultural continent,
not a geographical one. It is its culture that gives it a common
identity... In this sense, throughout history Turkey has always
represented another continent, in permanent contrast with Europe.
There were the wars against the Byzantine Empire, the fall of
Constantinople, the Balkan wars and the threat against Vienna and
Austria. That is why I think it would be an error to equate the two
continents. It would mean a loss of richness, the disappearance of
culture for the sake of economic benefits."
There were centuries of conflict between Turkey and Christian Europe
before World War I, and European countries used all their energy,
even the power of the Catholic Church, to bring an end to the Ottoman
Empire.
The Catholic Church exaggerated the threat posed by this Muslim empire
and its impact on European and Christian values.
In modern times, in order to pressure Ankara, the European Union, the
Vatican, and human rights organizations have perpetually brought up
the longstanding charge that the Turkish government has always imposed
limitations on the activities of Christians and churches in Turkey.
A unique point of the Pope's visit to Turkey is his meeting with
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople,
which has attracted the attention of all the world's Catholic and
Orthodox Christians.
The leader of the Orthodox Christians of the United States has told
Reuters that above and beyond the goal of jumpstarting the dialogue
between Muslims and Christians, the main objective of Pope Benedict's
visit to Turkey is to bring the two churches closer together.
Although the thousand-year dispute between the Orthodox and the
Catholic churches is still alive, it is expected that the two religious
leaders will make an agreement during the landmark visit as a first
step to bridging the chasm.
According to some experts, the rise of secularism in Europe and the
rise of Islamism in the Islamic world have inspired efforts to unite
the Catholics and the Orthodox.
The Turkish Constitution has imposed certain restrictions on the
100,000 Christian inhabitants of Turkey, who are mainly Orthodox
Armenians or Greeks, but the Pope's visit to Turkey may result in
some improvement in their conditions.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government is currently in the midst of a crisis
in its relations with the European Union and a rise in opposition to
its desire to join the EU.
Yet, Ankara is determined to make optimal use of the Pope's visit to
introduce Turkey as a bridge between Islam and the West in order to
improve its relations with the European Union and garner the pontiff's
approval for its accession to the EU.