News / Politics
Pope Benedict XVI Begins Four-Day Visit to Turkey with Message of Brotherhood
Trying to ease the tensions created by a September speech, Pope Benedict XVI began his four-day trip to Turkey saying “We know that the scope of this trip is dialogue and brotherhood and the commitment for understanding between cultures ... and for reconciliation.”
The call for reconciliation comes in part from a quote the pope included in a speech two months ago that labeled the Prophet Muhammad's teachings as “evil and inhuman.” The Muslim community was outraged by the speech and saw it as a direct attack on their religion of Islam.
Benedict later expressed regret for including the quote attributed to a 14th century Christian emperor. According to the Vatican, the speech was meant to show the incompatibility of faith and violence and was not intended too incite or demean Islam.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was at the airport in Ankara to greet Benedict when the pope landed. Erdogan had originally said that he would not be there to welcome the pope but he changed his plans at the last minute.
Upon meeting the pontiff, Erdogan said “I want to express happiness to see you and your delegation in our country.”
Many of Turkey’s Muslim citizens have expressed distaste for the pope since his speech, and voiced their outrage concerning his visit. Signs could be seen around the country’s capital Ankara telling the pope that he was not welcome. Security has been extremely tight for the visit with over 3,000 police and sharpshooters have been assigned to protect Benedict.
Pope Benedict’s started his visit with a moment at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, and wrote a brief message in a guestbook.
He will travel to Ephesus on Wednesday and will then go to Istanbul, formerly the Christian city of Constantinople before its fall to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
Benedict had originally intended the trip to be an opportunity to meet with the Bartholomew I, the world’s leader of Orthodox Christians. It has been nearly one thousand years since Christians split over differences concerning the power of the papacy. Since the schism of 1054 Christianity has consisted of two major divisions, Benedict has expressed a desire to bridge those differences and reunite the two.
