Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Turkey: Pope's Visit A Milestone For Christians And Muslims

Monday, November 27, 2006
By Jeffrey Donovan

ISTANBUL, November 27, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- He’s yet to arrive, but Turks are already protesting. Pope Benedict XVI on November 28 kicks off a controversial, four-day visit to Turkey, his first trip to a mostly Muslim country.

On November 26, tens of thousands of Turks rallied in Istanbul against the visit, which comes less than two months after Benedict sparked a firestorm of anger across the Muslim world for remarks seen as critical of Islam.

Muslim anger, Christian divisions -- Pope Benedict faces major challenges in Turkey and the first challenge may well be his own security.

'You Won't Be Safe Here'

In September, after making his controversial remarks on Islam, the Bavarian-born pope received a grim warning. Ali Agca, the Turk who shot, but failed to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981, urged Benedict not to proceed with his trip to Turkey.

"You won’t be safe here," Agca told Turkish media.

While it appears unlikely Agca had any specific knowledge of a plot, security officials will be taking no chances during the pope's four-day trip, says Turkish political analyst Zeyno Baran.

“There are going to be provocations and there are some people who would like to attack and do whatever," Baran says. "But the question is, will they succeed? I mean, since we had Agca try and not succeed before. It’s a source of concern; the government is doing everything it can to make sure there won’t be any major incident. But there’s always a risk.”

Tens of thousands of protesters have already rallied in Istanbul against him and are set to continuing to protests during the 80-year-old Benedict's stay.
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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 1:25 PM