Coinciding with the Feast of St Andrew,
Patron of the Patriarchal Church of Constantinople, Pope Francis arrived in
Turkey and began his morning in Istanbul with visits to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque
(the famous Blue Mosque), the Hagia Sophia (now a museum). He also gave a
simple greeting to the Catholic community in the small garden of the Apostolic
Delegation. These moments marked the transition to the ecumenical portion of
his journey, which opened in Ankara with the meetings with political and
religious authorities of Turkey. As the fourth visit by a pope in fewer than
50 years, Francis’ journey represented a new moment of that “dialogue of
friendship, esteem and respect” — as the Pontiff was quick to express — the
seeds of which were cast by Benedict xv nearly a century ago during the First
World War, and then by the presence of Angelo Roncalli, Apostolic Delegate in
the country for a decade. Those instances were followed, beginning in 1967, by
the visits of Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, especially notable for
the meetings with Patriarchs of Constantinople Athenagoras, Demetrius and
Bartholomew. Pope Francis recalled that this land, inextricably linked to the
origins and history of the Church, is “dear to every Christian”, hinting at the
missions of St Paul, at the ancient Marian traditions and at the first seven
Councils, all celebrated here. He then praised its vitality, acknowledging the
importance of the role and responsibilities that Turkey today plays on the
international level on the front lines of welcoming the tremendous number of
displaced people seeking escape from the tragedies taking place in Syria and
Iraq. The only way to build peace, Francis
repeated in his meeting with Turkish authorities, is through dialogue,
conscious of differences. And this cannot exclude general respect for the
dignity of every human being, and thus of religious freedom and freedom of
expression. “How much longer must the Middle East suffer the consequences of
this lack of peace?”, the Pope asked with anguish. And he again forcefully
condemned the fundamentalism and terrorism which bloody the region with the
ruthless and brutal persecution of religious minorities, Christian and Yazidi
in particular. The deplorable situation of the persecuted
was also addressed in the meeting with religious authorities in his visit to
the President of the Diyanet at the Department for Religious Affairs, where in
2006 Benedict xvi had confirmed the desire for friendship with Islam in order
to oppose the exploitation of faiths. “As religious leaders, we are obliged to
denounce all violations against human dignity and human rights”, Francis
repeated, once again pointedly condemning “any violence which seeks religious
justification”. Condemnation, however, does not suffice.
Efforts must be made to ward off the intolerance and hatred that hide behind
religious pretexts. It is in this manner, the Pope underscored — in line with
the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate — that Muslims and Christians
can do a lot to recognize the common elements between the two religions,
“though lived according to the traditions of each”; and that they can change
the course which, with contempt for man, leads to death and offends God. g.m.v….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has arrived in Istanbul on the second day of his Apostolic Voyage to Turkey, where he was greeted by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I and Governor of Istanbul.
While the highlight of this three day trip is undoubtedly his meeting Saturday afternoon with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Pope began his day with a guided visit to the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque. He was greeted by the Grand Mufti and Imam before entering the Mosque.
From there he travelled to the historic Hagia Sophia, or Saint Sophia Museum. He is the third Pope to visit the UNESCO world heritage site. After admirning teh beauty of the basilica he signed the visitors book, writing: “Quam dilecta tabernacula tua Domine (Psalmus 83). Contemplating the beauty and harmony of this sacred place, my soul rises to the Almighty, source and origin of all beauty, and I ask the Almighty to always guide the hearts of humanity on the path of truth, goodness and peace”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Ahead of his discourse to Turkish authorities on Friday, Pope Francis spent one hour in private conversation with the President of the Republic Recep Tayyip Erdogan, far beyond the allotted time.
Vatican Radio journalist Philippa Hitchen caught up with the Director of the Holy See press office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, to find out what the Pope and the President discussed.
Listen to the full interview:
Fr Lombardi said the issues the two men discussed “were similar to the issues in the public speech.”
“I think that the president had the occasion to greet the Pope for coming for encouraging Turkey in this difficult time to engage for peace and for refugees that come from many lands. There are 2 million refugees actually in Turkey and Turkey does much for them,” he said.
“The Pope stresses that these are important contributions for peace. Then there was another aspect I think is important—freedom. That is, the Pope stressed that dignity of the person, the respect of the freedom to express themselves, is very important and it has not to be oppressed,” he continued.
“In this sense I think it is similar to what Benedict had as a message here in Turkey and for Islam in particular,” he said.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Day two of the Holy Father’s Apostolic visit to Turkey and Pope Francis travels from the capital Ankara headed for the city that joins two continents on the banks of the Bosphorous, the city of Istanbul.
His message from the Turkish capital was an urgent appeal for peace in the Middle East. Philippa Hitchen is travelling with Pope Francis and sent us this report:
Listen
It was bitterly cold as the papal place touched down in Ankara airport on Friday, with snow clearly visible on the mountains surrounding this central Anatolian plateau.
The city is a modern, fast-growing metropolis, established as the political and administrative capital by Ataturk in 1923, when he founded the secular Turkish state. This father of the nation, who also served as president for the first 15 years, is buried in a mausoleum, built to resemble a giant Greek temple, where Pope Francis stopped to lay a wreath and write a greeting to the Turkish people. He noted that this country forms a natural bridge between two continents, Europe and Asia, adding he hoped the modern state could be not just a geographical crossroads, but also a place of peaceful cultural encounter between people of different religions and ethnicities.
Turkey prides itself on being just that, said both President Erdogan and Professor Gormez, who heads the Diyanet or religious affairs department. The president welcomed the Vatican delegation in his sumptuous, spanking-new palace, with a thousand rooms and giant mosque costing over 600 million dollars. Not exactly the style that the frugal Francis approves of or feels comfortable with, but nevertheless he listened politely as the president railed against the many evils of Western society, prejudice, intolerance, racism and Islamophobia.
By contrast, the erudite, softly spoken professor at the Diyanet seemed more in tune with the Pope’s own message of the responsibility of people of faith to work closer together to combat the problems of poverty and hunger, hatred and conflict, environmental destruction and fanaticism of all kinds. Those spreading violence in the name of Allah, he said, are in “complete violation” of the peaceful path of Islam
In his response Pope Francis focused up close on the human tragedies that are resulting from that fanatical violence of fundamentalists in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, causing millions of families – mothers, children, the elderly – to flee for their lives. He praised the Turkish people for all that they’re doing to help these refugees and he said Christian and Muslim leaders must do more to find solutions to the region’s problems. How much longer must the Middle East suffer like this, he asked, adding that we must never resign ourselves to war and conflict.
The Pope’s words today may have been directed at religious and political leaders in this central Turkish city, but coming just six months after his visit to Jordan, Israel and Palestine, his message was yet another urgent appeal for peace throughout the wider, war-torn region.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) On the first day of his apostolic trip to Turkey, Pope Francis said religious leaders “are obliged” to denounce violence in the name of religion. He also appealed for more international assistance for the thousands of refugees from nearby Iraq and Syria, who have taken refuge in Turkey.
Upon arriving in Ankara on Friday afternoon, the Pope stopped at a mausoleum, where the remains of Turkey’s founder are buried—part of protocol for all visiting heads of state—before visiting with President Recep Tayip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace and with the head of the country’s Department of Religious Affairs, Mehmet Gormez.
Vatican Radio journalist Philippa Hitchen is on the ground, covering the Pope’s three-day apostolic journey. She shared the highlights of the first day in a nutshell.
Listen to the live link-up with Philippa Hitchen during the 28 November broadcast of Vatican Radio World News:
On Saturday, the Pope will travel to Istanbul, where he is expected to visit several historic sites, including Santa Sofia, a former basilica, which had been converted into a mosque in the 15th century and is now a museum. He is then expected to visit one of Istanbul’s most important mosques, the Sultan Ahmet, also known as the “Blue Mosque”. He is scheduled to celebrate Mass at the Catholic Holy Spirit Cathedral in the afternoon.
The evening is to include ecumenical prayer at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St George, followed by a private meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.
(from Vatican Radio)…