Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Pope says Turkey is a 'bridge' between religions

MSNBC
Security tight for 4-day visit as pontiff tries to heal rift caused by comments


Dylan Martinez / Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI at the Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey where he will spend four days visiting Catholic sites and meeting with leaders.

Reuters
Updated: 15 minutes ago

ANKARA, Turkey - Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday that Turkey is a "bridge" between religions and he appealed for solidarity between cultures in his first remarks after arriving for a delicate four-day trip to the predominantly Muslim nation.

"I really wanted to come to Turkey because Turkey has become a bridge ... between the religions," Benedict told Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who greeted him at the airport.

The pope spoke in Italian and an interpreter translated his comments into Turkish.

"It is a democratic, Islamic country and a bridge," the pope said. "I wanted to come to Turkey since becoming pope because I love this culture."

"I want to reiterate the solidarity between the cultures," Benedict said. "This is our duty."
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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 8:08 AM