Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Pope holds Mass at ancient holy site in Turkey

MSNBC
Positive response to visit after Benedict voices support for EU membership


Str / Reuters

Turkish officials, left, escort Pope Benedict XVI, in white, upon his arrival at Adnan Menderes Airport in Izmir on Wednesday.
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AP
Updated: 8 minutes ago

SELCUK, Turkey - Turks praised Pope Benedict on Wednesday for moves to bridge the divide between Christians and Muslims as he began the part of his Turkey trip that is devoted to Christian issues.

Benedict, on a four-day visit to mend fences with Islam and Turkey, journeyed to a shrine in Efes near the southwest coast. He conducted an open-air Mass next to a house where the Virgin Mary is thought to have spent her last years.

Security forces sealed off the area and only 250 people attended the event, making it one of the smallest crowds to attend a papal Mass.

Attention in mainly Muslim Turkey, though, was focused on surprise moves by Benedict on arrival on Tuesday: his support for Ankara’s bid to join the European Union and praise for the faith Muslims feel he had insulted in the past.

“This trip is important for Turkey’s EU membership. This is a big warning for conservative politicians who think the EU is a Christian club,” wrote daily Milliyet columnist Guneri Civaoglu.

“It started beautifully: the Pope told the world from Ankara that Islam was a religion of peace,” said mainstream Hurriyet newspaper.

Benedict’s trip was originally meant just as a visit to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul to try to bring the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches closer. There are some 100,000 Christians in Turkey.
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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 8:31 AM