Vatican City, 29 November 2014 (VIS) – This morning, Pope Francis travelled by air from Ankara to Istanbul. The only city in the world divided across two continents, Asia and Europe, it is situated on the banks of the Bosphorus, the river that connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean. Upon arrival he was welcomed…
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Vatican City, 29 November 2014 (VIS) – This morning, Pope Francis travelled by air from Ankara to Istanbul. The only city in the world divided across two continents, Asia and Europe, it is situated on the banks of the Bosphorus, the river that connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean. Upon arrival he was welcomed by the Governor of Istanbul and by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomaios I, and then transferred by car to the Blue Mosque, or the Mosque of the Sultan Ahmed. Built between 1609 and 1917 by Ahmed I on what had been the site of the great palace of Constantinople, the mosque became the most important place of worship of the Ottoman Empire. The name “Blue Mosque” derives from the 21,043 turquoise ceramic tiles adorning the walls and the dome. The ceramics used to cover the walls, columns and arches originated from Iznik in ancient Nicaea, and range in colour from deep blue to green. Benedict XVI visited the mosque during his trip to Turkey in 2006. Pope Francis was received by the Grand Mufti and remained a moment in silent prayer. The Holy Father then proceeded to the Museum of Hagia Sophia, the basilica dedicated to Divine Wisdom, first built in the year 360 by the emperor Constantine on a site previously occupied by pagan temples. It was later destroyed by two fires, one in 404 and another in 532, and the emperor Justinian undertook its reconstruction in order to make it into “the most sumptuous work since the time of Creation”, ordering all the provinces of the empire to provide their best marble and most prized materials. Hagia Sophia was inaugurated for the third time in 537. During the conquest of Constantinople in 1204, it was despoiled of its richest adornments by Latin Christians and in 1453, when it fell into the hands of the Ottomans, Mehmet II ordered it to be transformed into the first imperial mosque of Istanbul. During the subsequent three centuries, this Muslim place of worship received splendid gifts from various sultans, until the eighteenth century, when the mosaics were covered with plaster. In 1847 the Sultan Abdulmegid engaged the Swiss architects Gaspare and Giuseppe Fossati to uncover the mosaics and restore the building. In 1935, at the behest of Ataturk, Hagia Sophia became a museum, which it remains to this day. Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI all visited it during their trips to Turkey. Pope Francis was received at the Imperial Door by the director of the Museum, who accompanied him on a guided tour lasting around half an hour. The Holy Father signed the guest book of Hagia Sophia, first in Greek with the phrase Αγία Σοφία του Θεού (Holy Wisdom of God) and then in Latin: “Quam dilecta tabernacula tua Domine (Psalm 38). After leaving Hagia Sophia through the Beautiful Gate, Francis proceeded to the papal representation where he was awaited by members of the Catholic communities (Latin, Armenian, Syrian and Chaldean) of Istanbul, and where he was greeted by the president of the Episcopal Conference of Turkey, Archbishop Ruggero Franceschini, O.F.M. Cap….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis travels from Ankara to Istanbul on Saturday where he’ll visit the famous Hagia Sophia museum and the Blue Mosque. Later in the day he’ll celebrate Mass at the Catholic Cathedral and participate in an ecumenical prayer liturgy with Ecumencial Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the Orthodox world. The two men, who’ve…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis travels from Ankara to Istanbul on Saturday where he’ll visit the famous Hagia Sophia museum and the Blue Mosque. Later in the day he’ll celebrate Mass at the Catholic Cathedral and participate in an ecumenical prayer liturgy with Ecumencial Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the Orthodox world. The two men, who’ve…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis travels
from Ankara to Istanbul on Saturday where he’ll visit the famous Hagia
Sophia museum and the Blue Mosque. Later in the day he’ll celebrate Mass
at the Catholic Cathedral and participate in an ecumenical prayer
liturgy with Ecumencial Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the
Orthodox world. The two men, who’ve met several times since the start of
Francis’ pontificate, will also sign a joint declaration after
celebrating a Divine Liturgy marking the feast day of St Andrew on
Sunday.
Accompanying Pope Francis on this journey to Turkey is the head of
the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt
Koch. Before leaving, he sat down with Philippa Hitchen to share his
hopes ahead of this latest encounter between the Pope and the Patriarch
….
The visit comes just six months after the Pope and the Ecumenical
Patriarch met together in Jerusalem and singed a Joint Declaration about
their commitment to the search for Christian unity. Speaking of his
hopes and expectations of the upcoming visit to Turkey, Cardinal Koch
says that first of all it will be another step in deepening the good
relations that already exist between Rome and Constantinople.
He also points out that since Pope Paul VI went to Constantinople in
1967, every Pope had made a visit in the 2nd year of his pontificate:
Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and now Francis: this – he says “is a
very beautiful idea”.
The Cardinal speaks of a long tradition of mutual visits: “The
Catholic Church visits Constantinople on the Feast of Saint Andrew on
November 30, and a high delegation comes to Rome to celebrate the Feast
of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29.
Koch agrees that the strong personal friendship between the Pope and
the Patriarch can help strengthen this engagement because – he says –
the Ecumenical Patriarch is a very good help for me: “there are some
tendencies in the International Commission that say we must leave the
ecumenical theological dialogue and have a good collaboration in other
issues. But the Patriarch says we have the duty to deepen the
theological questions, and that is also my opinion and commitment and I
am very grateful for the help of the Ecumenical Patriarch”.
Asked whether the Pope’s presence in Istanbul can help the Orthodox
Church with its demands, for example, for legal recognition or for the
reopening of the Orthodox Seminary for training new priests, Koch says
that his hope is that after “this long time that the theological school
of Halki has been closed, the new Government may have a new opportunity
to open it”.
He says he has heard from government sourches that they will be able
to do so when there is a change also in Athens, because there is no
Mosque in Athens. But, Kock points out: “this is a little strange
because the Ecumenical Patriarch has no responsibility in Athens”.
“We must resolve the problem in Greece and we must resolve the
problem in Turkey. And hopefully the visit of the Holy Father can help
resolve relationships between the Church and the government” he says.
The journey will also provide a strong focus on Catholic Muslim
relations and on the Syrian and Iraqi refugee crisis on the country’s
border. Cardinal Koch says the pressing situations in the Middle East,
including the persecution of Christians and other minorities, will
clearly be a main issue in the conversation as both the Patriarch and
the Pope are very engaged in these problems and they can raise a common
voice against these situations….