POPE BENEDICT’S ‘SOFT TONE’ IN TURKEY SEEKS TO WIN MUSLIM HEARTS, MINDS
By John L. Allen
Catholic Online, CA
National Catholic Reporter — ( )
Dec 6 2006
ISTANBUL, Turkey (National Catholic Reporter) – During his first four
foreign trips, Pope Benedict XVI developed the annoying habit of making
the world wait for the big story. In Poland last May, for example,
his speech at Auschwitz, which disappointed some because it offered
no new apology for the Holocaust, didn’t come until the last day. In
Bavaria in September, the pope’s now-famous speech at the University
of Regensburg, which touched off a firestorm of controversy in the
Muslim world, came more than halfway into the five-day trip.
Advertisement In Turkey, however, the biggest splash came on Day 1,
roughly a half-hour after the pope landed at the Ankara airport. In a
closed-door meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
who had been among the most outspoken critics of Benedict XVI after
the Regensburg speech, the pope indicated that he now smiles upon
Turkey’s candidacy to join the European Union.
In reality, Erdogan probably engaged in a bit of spin with regard to
the pope’s comments. It was Erdogan who told the press that the pope
had endorsed Turkey’s EU bid, while the Vatican later clarified that
the pope had not taken a political position for or against admission,
but instead merely affirmed the country’s efforts at "dialogue and
drawing close" to Europe.
Nevertheless, the bottom line is that Benedict XVI effectively
disavowed his earlier position, expressed while still a cardinal,
that Turkey is "in permanent contrast to Europe," and that admitting
it to the EU would further muddy the Christian roots of the continent.
Anyone familiar with even a smidgen of papal history knows that popes
don’t often reverse field in quite so clear a fashion, and the fact
that Benedict did so right out of the gate crystallized the basic
spirit of this Nov. 28-Dec. 1 trip, Benedict’s fifth as pope and his
first to a majority Muslim state: No effort was spared to convince
the Muslim world that "the pope of Regensburg," depicted variously by
Muslim critics as a neo-crusader and as the chaplain to the U.S.-led
war in Iraq, is actually a friend.
In terms of realpolitik, Benedict’s new line on the EU probably
means little in terms of Turkey’s actual chances. It’s hardly as if
the powers-that-be in Brussels were waiting for a declaration from
the pope. This is the same body, after all, that repeatedly spurned
Vatican pleas for even a passing reference to God in the preamble
to the new European constitution. Just 24 hours after Benedict met
with the Turkish prime minister, the European Commission announced a
partial suspension of talks with Ankara, further dimming the country’s
prospects.
At a symbolic level, however, Benedict’s new line sent an unambiguous
signal that he’s willing to go to great lengths to win Muslim hearts
and minds.
At a meeting with diplomats accredited to Ankara Nov. 29, Ambassador
Georges H. Siam of Lebanon complimented Benedict XVI on his "soft
tone" in Turkey, and that in many ways seems an appropriate tag line
for the four-day trip.
Over and over, a series of key words percolated like leitmotifs
through the pope’s remarks: dialogue, understanding, brotherhood and
peace. Repeatedly, Benedict stressed his "great esteem" for Muslims
and, in particular, his respect for Turks, often invoking the memory
of Pope John XXIII, who served as apostolic delegate in Turkey from
1933 to 1945 and is remembered fondly here.
In a speech at the Religious Affairs Directorate Nov. 28, for example,
Benedict expressed "profound esteem for all the people of this great
country," and greeted Turkish Muslims "with particular esteem and
affectionate regard."
In what seemed almost a deliberate counterpoint to his infamous
quotation from a 14th-century Byzantine emperor at the University of
Regensburg, Benedict this time cited an 11th-century pope, Gregory
VII, who said to a Muslim prince in 1076 that Christians and Muslims
owe charity to one another "because we believe in one God, albeit in
a different manner, and because we praise him and worship him every
day as the creator and ruler of the world."
By and large, the Turks seemed to reciprocate. Planned protests
never really materialized, and the coverage in the Turkish press
was overwhelmingly positive. After the first day, and in the wake
of Benedict’s reversal of field on the EU, one Turkish newspaper ran
the banner headline: "It’s a beautiful start."
Small, telling decisions
In a series of small but telling decisions, Benedict XVI appeared to
do everything possible to avoid irritating his hosts. For example:
– At a Mass at Ephesus Nov. 29, he referred to the "witness" of Italian
missionary Father Andrea Santoro, but without mentioning that Santoro
was gunned down Feb. 15 in the Black Sea city of Trabzon by a young
Muslim shouting "God is great!" who later said he had been agitated by
the Danish cartoon controversy. Many Turkish Christians see Santoro
as a symbol of the precarious nature of life in an overwhelmingly
Muslim society, where Christians run the risk of being seen as an
alien element. – At least four times, Benedict made reference to
freedom of religion, but he never linked that generic appeal to
specific problems in Turkey, where Christian churches cannot own
property or enter into contracts, where it is often impossible to
get permits for new churches or to secure visas for Christian clergy,
and where the seminaries of the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox
churches have been shuttered by government edict since 1971.
– In his meeting with Patriarch Mesrob II in Istanbul Nov. 30,
Benedict referred to the "tragic circumstances" endured by Armenians
in Turkey in the 20th century, but without using the term "genocide,"
which is anathema to most Turks. His decision is all the more striking
given that John Paul II used the term "genocide" in reference to the
Armenians during his visit to Yerevan in 2001, in a joint statement
with Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic church.
– In impromptu remarks as part of his meeting with Ali Bardakoglu,
head of the Religious Affairs Directorate, Benedict said that his
decision in May to appoint Cardinal Paul Poupard as president of both
the Pontifical Council for Culture and for Inter-religious Dialogue
was not a way to "diminish" the latter office, but to "integrate" and
"reinforce" the work of both. The pope also rejected "Islamophobia,"
and said that he regarded Islam as a religion of peace.
– In an unusual revision to the official schedule, Benedict added a
Nov. 30 visit to the famed "Blue Mosque" in Istanbul. While there, he
donned a pair of white slippers, in keeping with the Islamic tradition
of not wearing shoes inside a mosque, and paused for a moment of what
appeared to be silent prayer alongside his Muslim host. Later he said,
"We pray for fraternity and for all humanity."
– While milling with the small crowd of pilgrims who arrived for
the open-air Mass at Ephesus, Benedict spontaneously picked up a
Turkish flag and briefly waved it, providing a classic image of papal
beneficence toward his host country.
None of this is perhaps surprising, given the powerful incentives
both the Vatican and the Turks felt to make the trip a success. In
the wake of Regensburg, Benedict XVI wanted to convince Muslim public
opinion that he’s a friend of Islam, while the Turks wanted to show
the world that theirs is a sophisticated, pluralistic nation, ready
to take its place in Europe.
In a sense, therefore, the game in Turkey was always Benedict’s to
lose, and he made sure not to put a foot wrong.
Moreover, the challenging line of "the pope of Regensburg" was not
completely absent from Benedict’s appeals in Turkey. Albeit in oblique
form, his twin challenge to Muslims on terrorism and religious freedom
did surface throughout the trip.
"The civil authorities of every democratic country are duty-bound to
guarantee the effective freedom of all believers and to permit them
to organize freely the life of their religious communities," he said
in a meeting with ambassadors Nov. 28. "I am certain that religious
liberty is a fundamental expression of human liberty and that the
active presence of religions in society is a source of progress and
enrichment for all."
Speaking directly to Bardakoglu of the Religious Affairs Directorate,
Benedict called for "freedom of religion, institutionally guaranteed
and effectively respected in practice." That language seemed
deliberate, given that the Turkish constitution guarantees freedom
of religion, but in practice Turkish bureaucrats often make life
difficult for the country’s small Christian minority of perhaps
100,000 believers in a country of 72 million.
Likewise, the pope insisted that religious leaders must "utterly
refuse to sanction recourse to violence as a legitimate expression
of religion."
Nevertheless, the preponderant message delivered on the Turkey trip
was one of friendship, not debate. Though Benedict did not offer any
new apology for the Regensburg address, the entire trip seemed to
have an air of contrition.
Eisn Tunali, 38, is a Muslim covert to Protestantism who drove six
hours to attend the papal Mass in Ephesus Nov. 28. She said the trip
allows Turks to get a different impression of the pope.
"They can see that anybody can make a mistake," she told National
Catholic Reporter. "This is kind of like an apology."
The gamble of the visit appeared to be that if Benedict wants to
challenge Islam to an internal reformation, he first has to establish
his credentials as a friend. Whether that strategy will pay off
remains to be seen. In the immediate wake of the trip, there was no
indication that the Turkish government intends to heed his message
on religious freedom in a new way – for example, by allowing the
Halki seminary of the patriarch of Constantinople to reopen, which
has emerged as a leading symbol of the problem of religious liberty
in majority Muslim states.
The original purpose of Benedict’s trip, which was somewhat
overshadowed by the focus on Christian/Muslim issues and the
prospect of a "clash of civilizations," was to visit the patriarch
of Constantinople, the "first among equals" in the Orthodox world. On
that level, the trip was intended as a further gesture of ecumenical
openness, in keeping with Benedict’s vow one day after his election
in April 2005 that Christian unity would be a top priority of his
pontificate.
Benedict and Bartholomew I, whose formal title is "His All Holiness
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and
New Rome," celebrated a vespers service together at the Phanar, the
headquarters of the patriarch in Istanbul, on the evening of Nov. 29,
and then celebrated a divine liturgy the next day. The two men blessed
one another, prayed the "Our Father" together, and issued a joint
blessing to the assembly at the Phanar.
"I can assure you the Catholic Church is willing to do everything
possible to overcome obstacles and to seek, together with our
Orthodox brothers and sisters, ever more effective means of pastoral
cooperation," Benedict pledged on Nov. 30.
The pope argued that greater Orthodox/Catholic closeness is especially
important in the context of a Europe seemingly ever more determined
to blur its Christian identity.
"The process of secularization has weakened the hold of that
tradition," he said. "Indeed, it is being called into question, and
even rejected. In the face of this reality, we are called, together
with all Christian communities, to renew Europe’s awareness of its
Christian roots, traditions and values, giving them new vitality."
In their Common Declaration, released Nov. 30, Benedict and Bartholomew
picked up that theme.
"In Europe, while remaining open to other religions and to their
cultural contributions, we must unite our efforts to preserve Christian
roots, traditions and values, to ensure respect for history," the
two leaders said.
To those expecting a more Regensburg-esque, cage-rattling performance,
it was striking that Benedict never explicitly engaged the crisis
besetting the patriarch of Constantinople, who presides over a tiny
flock of roughly 2,000 people, 60 percent of whom are over 50 years
old. As recently as 1950, there were more than 100,000 Orthodox
faithful in Istanbul, but waves of harassment from the Turkish
government have driven most away.
Some issue dire warnings that the Greek Orthodox community in Turkey
may be on the verge of extinction. The Turkish authorities have never
recognized any "ecumenical" role for the patriarch, insisting on
treating him as no more than a local clergyman, and demanding that
the occupant of the office must be a Turkish citizen born in Turkey.
For many Turkish nationalists, the patriarchate is an unwelcome Greek
presence on Turkish soil.
Recalling Christian heritage
Benedict walked up to the brink of acknowledging these realities
in the Common Declaration, where he and Bartholomew recalled "the
Christian heritage of the land in which our meeting is taking place,"
and asserted that this tradition "remains timely and will bear more
fruit in the future."
Yet without directly calling the Turks to task for their neglect of
the patriarch, many observers felt that Benedict’s visit amounted to
a major boon for the local Orthodox community.
"Sometimes when you are living in the shadows of religious
asphyxiation, a brother coming from the West can bring light to the
East," said Father Alexander Karloutsos, an official of the ecumenical
patriarch based in New York who was on hand for the events in Istanbul.
"Peter has come to give strength to his older brother," Karloutsos
told National Catholic Reporter on the margins of the vespers service
celebrated by Benedict and Bartholomew.
Benedict is the third pope to visit the Phanar, following in the
footsteps of Paul VI in 1967 and John Paul II in 1979.
Certainly the Orthodox did everything they could to milk the pope’s
visit for PR value, setting up sophisticated press centers, bringing
in English-speaking spokespersons, and even inviting journalists to a
reception with Bartholomew on the evening of Nov. 30 at the Istanbul
Hilton Hotel.
Yet if the aim of the meeting between pope and patriarch was to
usher in a new phase of Catholic/Orthodox unity, there seemed little
immediate indication that any progress had been made on the one issue
that has long blocked real ecumenical progress – Orthodox concerns
about the power of the pope.
Benedict addressed the issue in his remarks Nov. 30, noting that
"differences of opinion" over the role of the pope are currently
under review in the joint Catholic/Orthodox international dialogue.
He cited Pope John Paul II’s offer in the 1995 encyclical Ut Unum
Sint to reconsider a new mode of exercising the papacy that would be
acceptable to other Christians, and Benedict added, "It is my desire
today to recall and renew this invitation."
Exactly what such a revamped papacy would look like, however, is still
to be spelled out. If anything, Orthodox observers at the Phanar,
watching the massive media and security presence that follows the pope,
as opposed to the near-invisibility of their patriarch, seemed more
conscious than ever of the danger of being swamped in the pope’s wake.
In the final analysis, evaluating the success of Benedict’s Turkey
trip requires defining its aim. If the point was to expand upon
the conversation hinted at in his Regensburg address, about the
relationship between reason and faith and the related problem of
extremism in some currents of Islam, there was little evidence
that much had been accomplished. But if the hope was to reintroduce
Benedict to Muslims as a friend, on that front the trip did indeed
seem to move some opinion.
One Turk put it to a reporter this way: "I’m not sure we like this
pope yet," he said, asking that his name not be used. "But at least
we don’t dislike him anymore."
– – –
John L. Allen Jr. is National Catholic Reporter senior correspondent.