29 November 2006
Pope Benedict XVI has urged religious leaders of all faiths to refuse to support any form of violence in the name of faith, while Turkey's top Muslim cleric complained to the pontiff of a growing "Islamophobia" in the world. As he began his first visit to a Muslim country on Tuesday, the Pope sought to strike a careful balance. He held out a hand of friendship and "brotherhood" to Muslims, hoping to end the outcry from many in the Islamic world over his recent remarks linking Islam to violence. In a gesture welcomed by his hosts as well as the Muslim world-at-large, he expressed support for Turkey's efforts to join the European Union, moving away from opposition he voiced when he was a cardinal. However, Benedict also told diplomats that leaders of all religions must "utterly refuse to sanction recourse to violence as a legitimate expression of faith." He avoided mention of any specific religion, even as he decried terrorism and the "disturbing conflicts across the Middle East." Benedict also said guarantees of religious freedom are essential for a just society, and the Vatican said he raised specific issues such as property rights of Turkey's tiny 32,000-member Catholic community during talks with Turkish officials.
His comments could be reinforced later during the four-day visit when the Pope meets in Istanbul with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. Benedict XVI is expected to call for greater rights and protections for Christian minorities in the Muslim world, including the tiny Greek Orthodox community in Turkey. On arriving in Ankara, Benedict was received at the airport by Turkish prime minister Erdogan. He also met with Ali Bardakoglu, chief of Turkey's state-run Religious Affairs Department, who voiced indirect criticism at the Pope's recent speech at Regensburg University by saying, "The so-called conviction that the sword is used to expand Islam in the world and growing Islamophobia hurts all Muslims," Bardakoglu said. The Vatican described the cleric's speech as "positive, respectful and non-polemical," applauding what the church sees as efforts for a true dialogue between faiths.