Sunday, December 03, 2006

Pope: visit to Turkey "an unforgettable spiritual and pastoral experience"

VOA News

Pope Hopes Turkey Visit Will Lead to Useful Dialogue With Muslims
By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
03 December 2006

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Pope Benedict XVI gestures from his study window overlooking St. Peter's Square, 3 Dec 2006

Pope Benedict expressed hope Sunday that his trip to Turkey would lead to useful dialogue with Muslims. But on another issue, the Vatican has had strong words for China after the government-run Catholic Church ordained another bishop, without papal approval. Sabina Castelfranco has this VOA report from Rome.

Addressing pilgrims from his studio window overlooking Saint Peter's Square, the pope called his visit to Turkey "an unforgettable experience."

The pope returned to the Vatican on Friday, after spending four days in Ankara, Ephesus and Istanbul. His visit appeared to have gone some way toward improving relations with Muslims, whom the pope had angered when he made comments in September linking Islam to violence.

Benedict became the second pope ever to walk into a Muslim place of worship, when he visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. His visit was also focused on continuing efforts to reach out to Orthodox Christians.

The pope told pilgrims his visit to Turkey was "an unforgettable spiritual and pastoral experience, which I hope will produce the fruits for an increasingly sincere cooperation between all of Christ's disciples, and a useful dialogue with Muslims."
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