Independent Online, South Africa
Nov 23 2006

No warm welcome for Pope in Turkey

November 23 2006 at 02:15PM

Ankara – When Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the Turkish capital Ankara
on November 28 the usual thronging crowds that accompany most papal
visits abroad will not be present, the Prime Minister will be in
another country and the President will not be waiting to meet him as
the pope steps down from his aircraft.

The papal visit has been surrounded by controversy since it was first
mooted when Pope John Paul II was still head of the Catholic Church.

The original invitation was issued by Greek Orthodox Patriach
Bartholomew I, whose seat is in Istanbul, an invitation that the
Turkish state said the patriarch had no right to send.

It may seem like a triviality, but Turkish officals took exception to
the invitation on the grounds that since the pope is the head of the
Vatican State, then the invitation must be issued by the head of the
Turkish state, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

After a seemingly long wait, Sezer finally did issue an invitation
which the then pope accepted.

The controversy seemed over until German-born Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger was elected pope in April, 2005.

Turkish newspapers immediately recalled that when he was a cardinal,
Ratzinger had said that Turkey should not become a member of the
European Union.

Then came the pope’s September 2006 speech in which he quoted a 14th
century Byzantine emperor who had said that Islam was a religion
spread by the sword. Muslims in Turkey and many other countries
immediately protested.

While the pope expressed regret for the upset his comments had caused
he did not give an unequivocal apology.

The president of the state-controlled Religious Affairs Directorate,
Ali Bardakoglu, has said that while the visit may help to improve
relations between the Catholic and Muslim worlds, the pope should
offer a complete apology for his remarks.

"The trip won’t resolve all of the problems but it will be a good
step in the direction of dialogue," Bardakoglu told Italian newspaper
La Stampa.

In his capacity as head of state, the pope will meet the Turkish
president and Bardakoglu and will later travel to Ephesus, the site
where Mary, mother of Jesus is thought to have spent her final days.

He will then move on to Istanbul where he will meet Greek Orthodox
Patriarch Bartholomew I.

While Vatican officials have said this will be the highlight of the
pope’s trip, a chance to further relations and heal old wounds
between the the Catholic and Orthodox church, it is being looked at
with suspicion by Turkish officials.

The status of the patriarch is a particular thorny diplomatic issue
in Turkey. Turkey does not recognise Bartholomew’s title of His All
Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch, instead referring to him as the
spiritual leader of the Greek minority in Turkey, a minority whose
numbers are perhaps just 5000.

The Catholic Church, however, does recognise Bartholomew’s title and
each time the word "ecumenical" is used a diplomatic furore erupts in
Turkey.

Celebrations in Ankara for the 2003 Silver Jubilee celebrations of
Pope John Paul II’s pontificate, where Bartholomew paid tribute to
the pope’s role in spreading peace, were boycotted by government and
opposition politicians as well as state officials due to the
invitation issued by the apostolic nuncio, the Vatican’s ambassador,
which stated that the "ecumenical patriarch" would be present.

There were even calls for the apostolic nuncio to be expelled from
the country.

Yet another possible diplomatic controversy could occur when the pope
visits Armenian Patriarch Mesrop Mutafyan.

The Turkish state completely denies all claims that the massacres of
Christian Armenians during the First World War constituted a genocide
and observers will be watching Benedict closely for any comments he
makes on the controversial issue.

The Turkish government has stressed that it believes the pope’s trip
to Turkey will help Catholic-Muslim dialogue.

But in general it has reacted coolly to the visit.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan won’t even be meeting Benedict,
instead flying to Latvia to attend a Nato Summit.

Both Turkish and Vatican officials have denied that this is a snub.

Papal visits abroad are normally associated with large crowds of the
faithful turning out to greet the leader of their church and local
politicians trying to grab some of the limelight.

Benedict’s trip to Turkey could hardly be more opposite. – Sapa-dpa