Post by PumaXVI. BENEDIKT will be in Turkey on 28 November 2006. Previously two
other pontifs, VI.Paul in 1967
and II. Jean Paul in 1979 had visited the Turkish Republic. According
to Joaquin Navarro Valls who was the spokesman of the Pope II. "
previous pontifs` visits to Turkey had two reasons, for the respect
to religious liberties, and also for the respect to ATATURKS`
REPUBLIC...But today the situation is changed, now new pontif has two
enemies, one is the LAISISM no matter Christian or Turkish,,,the other
is the fundamental Islam...and new pontif wants to fight against these
two enemies over the
union of Christianism...And he will try to come together with
Bartholomeos the patric of orthodox church, in Istanbul..."
Therefore LAIC Turkish people declared XVI BENEDIKT as " persona non
grata."although the
President of T.R. will show a diplomatic welcome to the new pontif...
Puma
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By BRIAN MURPHY, Associated Press Writer Sun Nov 26, 11:24 AM ET
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Tens of thousands of protesters chanted "No to the
pope!" and waved anti-
Vatican banners Sunday in a defiant display of the pro-Islamic anger
that could await the pontiff on his first papal trip to a mostly Muslim
nation.
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About 25,000 people filled a square in a working-class district of
Istanbul at a rally organized by an Islamist political party whose
leaders have denounced the pope's remarks in September that linked
violence and Islam.
"The pope is not wanted here," said Kubra Yigitoglu, a 20-year-old
protester in a head scarf, ankle-length coat and cowboy boots who
called Turkey "an Islamic republic."
The demonstration highlighted the deep strains in Turkey ahead of the
pope's four-day visit beginning Tuesday.
Turkish officials hope to use the visit to promote their ambitions of
joining the
European Union and to showcase its secular political system. But
pro-Islamic groups - which have been gaining strength for years -
perceive
Pope Benedict as a symbol of Western intolerance and injustices against
Muslims.
The pope plans to first meet with political and Muslim religious
leaders in the capital, Ankara, including Turkey's president and the
Islamic cleric who oversees Turkey's religious affairs. Turkey's prime
minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is scheduled to attend a
NATO meeting in Latvia during the papal visit, but could briefly greet
the pontiff at the airport.
Benedict later heads to Istanbul - the ancient Christian capital
Constantinople - to be hosted by the spiritual leader of the world's
Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. The pope
strongly backs efforts to close the nearly 1,000-year divide between
the Vatican and the Orthodox churches.
The pope also is expected to continue the Vatican's efforts to heal
rifts with Muslims. The Vatican has expressed regret for offending
Muslims and sorrow for the violent backlash to his comments - which
the Vatican said were an attempt to show the incompatibility between
faith and violence.
At the Vatican on Sunday, Benedict expressed his "feelings of esteem
and of sincere friendship" for Turks and their leaders. The Vatican
spokesman also confirmed that the pope would visit Istanbul's famous
17th-century Blue Mosque as "a sign of respect" to Muslims.
The mosque, a major tourist attraction and prominent landmark on
Istanbul's skyline, faces the Haghia Sophia, a former Byzantine church
that was converted to a mosque following the fall of the city to Muslim
armies in 1453. It is a now a museum.
But Benedict may also use his time in Turkey as a forum to demand that
Islamic nations offer greater rights and protection to Christian
minorities, such as the remnants of the once-thriving Greek Orthodox
community in Istanbul.
Turkey's foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, said Benedict's visit could
help "remove some misunderstandings" between Christians and Muslims.
"The messages the pope gives here will, of course, be very important,"
Gul said at a news conference.
But the protesters sent a loud message that the pope is not welcome
until he offers a full apology for his remarks, in which he quoted a
Byzantine emperor who characterized some of Muhammad's teachings as
"evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword
the faith."
"The pope was disrespectful to us and he needs to apologize," said one
banner at the rally, which is in the heart of Istanbul's conservative
districts and is often the site of pro-Islam gatherings. More than
4,000 police - including riot squads - ringed the protest as police
helicopters buzzed overhead.
Seafetin Tuleg, 70, wrapped himself in the red flag of the Felicity
Party which organized the demonstration. He said Muslims revered the
Jewish and Christian prophets but did not receive the same respect for
their own.
"We love Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, but the pope doesn't love Muhammad
and Islam," he said.
Officially, Turkey is a rigidly secular republic, though around 99
percent of its population is Muslim.
In 2004 - before becoming pope - the then-
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger cast doubt on whether Turkey has a place
among EU nations.
"Turkey has always represented a different continent, in permanent
contrast to Europe," he was quoted by the French magazine Le Figaro as
saying.
On Sunday, Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency quoted the Vatican
spokesman, Federico Lombardi, as saying that the Vatican was not
against Turkish membership in the EU. The Vatican city-state is not an
EU member.
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