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The New York Times
Nov 29 2014
Pope Brings Message of Interreligious Peace to Istanbul
By SEBNEM ARSUNOV. 29, 2014
ISTANBUL -- On the second leg of his trip to Turkey, Pope Francis was
welcomed on Saturday by curious bystanders and tourists from around
the world as he visited the historical district here to deliver his
message of further interreligious dialogue for peace.
Istanbul, which is home to several cultural landmarks for both
Christians and Muslims, offered the pope an ideal venue to put his
message into action. The pope, 77, first visited the Sultan Ahmet
Mosque of Muslims, then Hagia Sophia, now a museum but formerly the
leading temple for Eastern Orthodox Christians. Both monumental
structures overlook the same yard.
Pope Francis visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern
Turkey's founder, in the capital city of Ankara on Friday.
In Turkey, Pope Francis Advocates Dialogue in Battling
'Fanaticism'NOV. 28, 2014
Pope Francis, offering a "message of hope" to the European Parliament,
gave a strikingly frank critique of Europe's malaise.
At European Parliament, Pope Bluntly Critiques a Continent's Malaise
NOV. 25, 2014
In the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, the pope
did not wrap his hands under his chest to resemble the Islamic
tradition, as did his predecessor, Benedict XVI, in 2006, but he bowed
his head and clasped his hands alongside the city's senior cleric for
a two-minute silent prayer, both facing the direction of Mecca. "May
Allah accept it," said Rahmi Yaran, the grand mufti of Istanbul, as
the two finished their prayers.
Outside, a small but enthusiastic group of Christians waved Turkish
and Vatican flags, played guitars and cheered "Papa Francesco" as the
pope smiled and waved before entering the Hagia Sophia museum, which
dates to the sixth century.
The church was converted into a mosque after the 1453 Ottoman
conquest, and made a museum in 1935. Some ultranationalist groups have
protested to demand that it again serve as a mosque.
Live coverage of the visit showed Francis listening to the museum
director, Hayrullah Cengiz, who pointed at Islamic inscriptions and
adjoining images of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus.
Security measures included 7,000 police officers on duty in the
historical neighborhood, which is often crowded with tourists, and the
restriction of trams and pedestrian crossings.
Christians in Turkey number about 100,000 -- including Armenians,
Orthodox Christians and Catholics -- out of a population of 74 million.
"It is symbolically important that the spiritual leader of a different
faith visits Turkey to promote peace among civilizations," said Tatyos
Bebek, an Armenian-Turk who lives in Istanbul.
During meetings Friday in Ankara with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
of Turkey and the head of the religious affairs directorate, the pope
repeated his call for interreligious dialogue, rather than military
action alone, to resolve conflicts in the Middle East, especially in
Iraq and Syria, where the Islamic State has been gaining ground.
On Saturday, Islamic State militants launched two suicide attacks with
explosive-laden vehicles at the border crossing of Mursitpinar, the
Turkish town near Kobani, Syria, where Islamic State and Kurdish pesh
merga forces have battled since late September. Four pesh merga
fighters were killed and 18 injured, CNN Turk television reported.
Planes from the United States-led coalition struck the radicals' bases
in the area after the attack, said the report, quoting witnesses.
A group of Iraqi Christians who were forced to flee Mosul after the
Islamic State raided the Iraqi city in June were excited to see the
pope in Istanbul.
"Muslim Christians are dying in Iraq," said Tony Quta, who has applied
for refugee status with the United Nations Humanitarian Refugee
Council. "I am very happy to see him today, I came to see him, and I
thank President Erdogan for everything."
Turkey shelters at least 1.6 million refugees from Syria and maintains
an open-border policy for Iraqi and Syrian civilians who have escaped
violence.
The pope's visit is considered a message of solidarity with the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church, which represents
nearly 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. It has been based in
Constantinople, now Istanbul, since the sixth century, though the
institution is not recognized by the Turkish state.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, speaking to reporters on Saturday,
praised the cooperation between the churches and said that he and Pope
Francis would continue to pray "together for the unity of our churches
of the divided Christendom as well as the peace in the Middle East and
around the globe."
Both leaders were expected to discuss concerns about the fading of
Christianity in its historical birthplaces and threats against their
communities in the Middle East, officials of the patriarchate said.
"In our journey of faith and fraternal living," Pope Francis said in
his sermon at the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul,
"the more we allow ourselves to be humbly guided by the Spirit of
Lord, the more we will overcome misunderstandings, divisions, and
disagreements and be a credible sign of unity and peace."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/world/europe/pope-brings-message-of-interreligious-peace-to-istanbul.html?_r=0
Nov 29 2014
Pope Brings Message of Interreligious Peace to Istanbul
By SEBNEM ARSUNOV. 29, 2014
ISTANBUL -- On the second leg of his trip to Turkey, Pope Francis was
welcomed on Saturday by curious bystanders and tourists from around
the world as he visited the historical district here to deliver his
message of further interreligious dialogue for peace.
Istanbul, which is home to several cultural landmarks for both
Christians and Muslims, offered the pope an ideal venue to put his
message into action. The pope, 77, first visited the Sultan Ahmet
Mosque of Muslims, then Hagia Sophia, now a museum but formerly the
leading temple for Eastern Orthodox Christians. Both monumental
structures overlook the same yard.
Pope Francis visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern
Turkey's founder, in the capital city of Ankara on Friday.
In Turkey, Pope Francis Advocates Dialogue in Battling
'Fanaticism'NOV. 28, 2014
Pope Francis, offering a "message of hope" to the European Parliament,
gave a strikingly frank critique of Europe's malaise.
At European Parliament, Pope Bluntly Critiques a Continent's Malaise
NOV. 25, 2014
In the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, the pope
did not wrap his hands under his chest to resemble the Islamic
tradition, as did his predecessor, Benedict XVI, in 2006, but he bowed
his head and clasped his hands alongside the city's senior cleric for
a two-minute silent prayer, both facing the direction of Mecca. "May
Allah accept it," said Rahmi Yaran, the grand mufti of Istanbul, as
the two finished their prayers.
Outside, a small but enthusiastic group of Christians waved Turkish
and Vatican flags, played guitars and cheered "Papa Francesco" as the
pope smiled and waved before entering the Hagia Sophia museum, which
dates to the sixth century.
The church was converted into a mosque after the 1453 Ottoman
conquest, and made a museum in 1935. Some ultranationalist groups have
protested to demand that it again serve as a mosque.
Live coverage of the visit showed Francis listening to the museum
director, Hayrullah Cengiz, who pointed at Islamic inscriptions and
adjoining images of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus.
Security measures included 7,000 police officers on duty in the
historical neighborhood, which is often crowded with tourists, and the
restriction of trams and pedestrian crossings.
Christians in Turkey number about 100,000 -- including Armenians,
Orthodox Christians and Catholics -- out of a population of 74 million.
"It is symbolically important that the spiritual leader of a different
faith visits Turkey to promote peace among civilizations," said Tatyos
Bebek, an Armenian-Turk who lives in Istanbul.
During meetings Friday in Ankara with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
of Turkey and the head of the religious affairs directorate, the pope
repeated his call for interreligious dialogue, rather than military
action alone, to resolve conflicts in the Middle East, especially in
Iraq and Syria, where the Islamic State has been gaining ground.
On Saturday, Islamic State militants launched two suicide attacks with
explosive-laden vehicles at the border crossing of Mursitpinar, the
Turkish town near Kobani, Syria, where Islamic State and Kurdish pesh
merga forces have battled since late September. Four pesh merga
fighters were killed and 18 injured, CNN Turk television reported.
Planes from the United States-led coalition struck the radicals' bases
in the area after the attack, said the report, quoting witnesses.
A group of Iraqi Christians who were forced to flee Mosul after the
Islamic State raided the Iraqi city in June were excited to see the
pope in Istanbul.
"Muslim Christians are dying in Iraq," said Tony Quta, who has applied
for refugee status with the United Nations Humanitarian Refugee
Council. "I am very happy to see him today, I came to see him, and I
thank President Erdogan for everything."
Turkey shelters at least 1.6 million refugees from Syria and maintains
an open-border policy for Iraqi and Syrian civilians who have escaped
violence.
The pope's visit is considered a message of solidarity with the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church, which represents
nearly 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. It has been based in
Constantinople, now Istanbul, since the sixth century, though the
institution is not recognized by the Turkish state.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, speaking to reporters on Saturday,
praised the cooperation between the churches and said that he and Pope
Francis would continue to pray "together for the unity of our churches
of the divided Christendom as well as the peace in the Middle East and
around the globe."
Both leaders were expected to discuss concerns about the fading of
Christianity in its historical birthplaces and threats against their
communities in the Middle East, officials of the patriarchate said.
"In our journey of faith and fraternal living," Pope Francis said in
his sermon at the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul,
"the more we allow ourselves to be humbly guided by the Spirit of
Lord, the more we will overcome misunderstandings, divisions, and
disagreements and be a credible sign of unity and peace."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/world/europe/pope-brings-message-of-interreligious-peace-to-istanbul.html?_r=0