Pope meets with leader of Orthodox Christians
EFES, Turkey – Invoking the name of a martyred priest, Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday made a pointed plea on behalf of Turkey’s beleaguered Christian minority and celebrated Mass in an ancient shrine revered as the last home of the Virgin Mary.
Benedict ended his second day in Turkey with another solemn gesture of religious unity: He joined the spiritual leader of the world’s 250 million Orthodox Christians for prayer and blessings in Istanbul, a city that once served as a seat of medieval Christian power.
The day saw the pope shifting his focus from Muslim reconciliation to Christian solidarity.
The Vatican on Wednesday also responded to a statement from al-Qaida in Iraq denouncing the “crusader campaign” of the pope in Turkey as an affront to Islam. Spokesman Federico Lombardi said such threats are precisely the reason violence must be separated from religion, the core of the pope’s message. Lombardi added that the pope was not worried about the threat.
Security was already extremely tight for Benedict’s first visit to a Muslim country. In Istanbul on Wednesday evening, miles and miles of city streets were closed to protect the papal convoy, with police in riot gear posted along the route.
The pope had intended his Turkey pilgrimage to highlight Christian unity and the bridging of the 1,000-year-old rift between Catholics and the Orthodox, who do not recognize the authority of the pope. But comments he made in September critical of Islam enraged much of the Muslim world and forced him to change the agenda, using this visit to reach out to Muslims and attempt to repair the damage.
In that vein, Benedict softened his opposition to Turkey’s attempt to join the European Union, among other gestures. But the EU bid suffered a separate setback Wednesday when the European Commission recommended that negotiations with Turkey be partially suspended because of continued dispute over the country’s dealings with EU member Cyprus.
Turkey has refused an EU demand to open its ports to Cyprus until the European bloc makes good on a promise to end the economic isolation of the Turkish-occupied part of the divided island nation.
EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn said in Brussels, Belgium, that Turkey’s aspirations to enter Europe were not dead but would move at a much slower pace.
Following on a day spent attempting to promote reconciliation with Turkey’s large Muslim majority, the pope on Wednesday turned to “the little flock of Christ” living in the midst “of a great nation.” He traveled to southwestern Turkey, to the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, known in Turkish as Efes, and to the squat stone house where some Christians believe the Virgin Mary lived out her final days. Parts of the foundation date to the 1st century, and legend has it that St. John brought her here from Jerusalem after Jesus’ crucifixion.
Mary is revered by Muslims as well as Christians; the quran mentions the mother of Jesus numerous times, and the shrine here, at the end of long, winding heavily forested road, attracts pilgrims from both faiths. Benedict stressed that common bond on Wednesday.