| 01-12-2006 - Traces, n.11
The Pope in Turkey The Primacy of Encounter The beginning of unity and peace “Lastly, I want to thank the whole population of Istanbul and of the other cities in Turkey for the cordial welcome that I was given everywhere. My thanks are especially warm, because I know that my presence in these days has considerably disturbed people’s daily lives. I also thank you with all my heart for your understanding and your patience.” These words pronounced at the end of his visit to Turkey witness to the humanity of Benedict XVI’s faith. His presence overcame fear and proved stronger than prejudice, opening the way for the future. In the meeting with the Muslims, the positivity of an openness that only the certainty of Christ can give; in the meeting with the Orthodox, the passion for Christian unity typical of a Catholic heart; in the meeting with the “little flock” of the Catholic community, the look of paternity that sustains hope. by Luigi Geninazzi It was a generous and courageous visit, which has already gone down in history with the image of Benedict XVI paused in recollection in the Blue Mosque, his hands joined and his lips whispering an imperceptible prayer. The Pope’s visit to Turkey overturned the negative stereotypes and the malicious criticism that were circulating the day before in that Islamic country and were echoed in huge headlines by our national press. What had promised to be a high-risk operation, and not only on the level of security, ended with a success that has something of the incredible. The headlines and comments of the Turkish press were so enthusiastic as to be embarrassing: “The Pope our friend,” “The Pope our ally,” “The Pope who prays like a Muslim.” Affection and admiration grew as Benedict XVI proceeded on his four-day mission. He conquered the hearts of the Turks with his simple and humble presence and with highly symbolic gestures. He waved the Crescent flag after the Mass in Ephesus, he released three pigeons into the sky in Istanbul, and he appeared beside the Mufti praying in the direction of Mecca. Before leaving, he apologized for the traffic jams his visit caused. It was not exactly what was expected of a Pope who in the previous weeks had been painted in bleak colors as the “head of the new crusaders of the infidels” and “the frowning theologian, the enemy of Islam.” The disarming power of gestures So Istanbul canceled out Regensburg. The disarming power of gestures swept away accusations and misunderstandings and projected a Pope unknown at the level of the media. But the words pronounced in Turkey are in continuity with the strong ideas and key points in the Ratzinger papacy. From the first remarks in Ankara, in the presence of the President of the Religious Affairs Directorate, Alì Bardakoglu, Benedict XVI repeated the concepts he had already expressed on other occasions regarding the Islamic world. He spoke of dialogue “as a vital necessity” and recalled that the basis for mutual respect between Christians and Muslims is attention “to the truth of the sacred character and dignity of the person.” He did not correct his aim, only this time the scholarly reference was not to Manuel Paleologus and his brusque attack on the Prophet, but to Pope Gregory VII, full of benevolence for a Muslim prince. In this sense, the exchange of signals we were able to spot at the beginning of the discussion between the Pope and Bardakoglu is enlightening. “We have to eliminate prejudices against Islam,” affirmed the Mufti; Benedict promptly replied, “We have to use religion in a different way.” In short, the “dangerous liaison” between Islam and violence, for the former is hostile prejudice, whereas for the Pope it is a tragic reality that has to be removed. He went on to say that “Christians and Muslims have a common task, offering a credible answer to the question that emerges in modern-day society regarding the meaning and the aim of life. This suggests a pedagogy, not a new ideology. A bridge between East and West The question of the relationship with Islam dominated the journey in Turkey, a country that Pope Ratzinger sees as a bridge between East and West, between Islam and Christianity. “I love the Turks,” he said, quoting the words of Angelo Roncalli (the future John XXIII), who was Apostolic Delegate in Turkey in the thirties. “I appreciate the natural qualities of these people who have their own place reserved in the march of civilization.” It is a journey that has taken the road toward Europe but, precisely in those days of the Papal visit, had become particularly damaged and difficult, with the European Commission deciding partially to suspend negotiations of Turkey’s membership of the European Union. Thus Prime Minister Erdogan, on his way to welcome his guest at the stairway of the plane, after saying for weeks that he could not meet him, jumped at the chance to declare that “the Pope sees favorably Turkey’s entry into the European Union”–hinting that this is the opposite of what he had said when still a Cardinal. This extrapolation was re-dimensioned a few days later when Benedict XVI and the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew jointly declared that, in the march toward the European Union, religious freedom and the rights of minorities must be kept in mind, without forgetting the Christian roots of the European continent. The Holy Father recalled the fundamental right to religious freedom five times during the course of his visit. The “little flock” and Christian Unity |