Pope Benedict XVI is helped by Archbishop Piero Marini Master of the Liturgical Celebrations during a mass celebrated at Istanbul's Holy Spirit Cathedral during the last day of his four-day visit to Turkey, Friday, Dec. 1, 2006
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The Pope -- celebrating Mass for members of Turkey's tiny Roman Catholic community a day after a stunning moment of prayer at a mosque -- also repeated his call to end divisions among the world's Christians.
"You know well that the church wishes to impose nothing on anyone, and that she merely asks to live in freedom,'' the Pope said at Istanbul's Holy Spirit Cathedral, where he was joined by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians.
The Pope has worked hard during the four-day trip to convince the Muslim world that he is interested in co-operation rather than confrontation, nearly three months after touching off worldwide fury for his remarks on violence and the Prophet Muhammad.
But Benedict also has made it clear he expects Islamic countries to improve rights and protections for Christian minorities, including the estimated 90,000 Christians in Turkey whose religious roots go back to biblical times.
"Your communities walk the humble path of daily companionship with those who do not share our faith,'' the Pope told the congregation filling the 160-year-old cathedral.
In the courtyard, the Pope released several white doves near a statue of the First-World-War-era pontiff that inspired his papal name, Benedict XV, which was erected by Turkey in honour of that pope's work "as a benefactor of all people, regardless of nation or creed.''
The Pope noted that his predecessor, John Paul II, spoke at the same site in 1979 and appealed for unity among Christians, particularly ending the nearly 1,000-year rift between the Vatican and the world's Orthodox.
Strengthening Christian bonds should be "at the forefront,'' Benedict told the congregation.
A day earlier, the Pope joined Bartholomew at a feast day ceremony in the ancient Orthodox enclave in Istanbul, which was known as the Christian capital Constantinople before the city fell to Muslim forces in 1453. The Pope called splits among Christians "a scandal to the world.''
"You know well that the church wishes to impose nothing on anyone, and that she merely asks to live in freedom,'' the Pope said at Istanbul's Holy Spirit Cathedral, where he was joined by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians.
The Pope has worked hard during the four-day trip to convince the Muslim world that he is interested in co-operation rather than confrontation, nearly three months after touching off worldwide fury for his remarks on violence and the Prophet Muhammad.
But Benedict also has made it clear he expects Islamic countries to improve rights and protections for Christian minorities, including the estimated 90,000 Christians in Turkey whose religious roots go back to biblical times.
"Your communities walk the humble path of daily companionship with those who do not share our faith,'' the Pope told the congregation filling the 160-year-old cathedral.
In the courtyard, the Pope released several white doves near a statue of the First-World-War-era pontiff that inspired his papal name, Benedict XV, which was erected by Turkey in honour of that pope's work "as a benefactor of all people, regardless of nation or creed.''
The Pope noted that his predecessor, John Paul II, spoke at the same site in 1979 and appealed for unity among Christians, particularly ending the nearly 1,000-year rift between the Vatican and the world's Orthodox.
Strengthening Christian bonds should be "at the forefront,'' Benedict told the congregation.
A day earlier, the Pope joined Bartholomew at a feast day ceremony in the ancient Orthodox enclave in Istanbul, which was known as the Christian capital Constantinople before the city fell to Muslim forces in 1453. The Pope called splits among Christians "a scandal to the world.''
2 comments:
Thank you Father, for your coverage of the visit.
If your readers would like to know more about the background to Turkey's persecution of Christianity they should read 'From the Holy Mountain', by William Dalrymple (1997). It is a brilliant book that describes the threat to Christianity in the Middle East from militant Islam and Israeli secularism.
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