TURKISH PARENTS OF PRIEST KILLER OFFER RECONCILIATION

Journal Chretien, France
Feb 7 2007

ISTANBUL, TURKEY – Catholic Christians in Turkey were anticipating a
new era of reconciliation Tuesday, February 6 after the parents of
a Turkish teenager convicted of killing an Italian Catholic priest
last year, met relatives of the victim.

The couple visited the Santa Maria Catholic Church, in Trabzon, where
Father Andrea Santoro, 61, was shot dead as he knelt in prayer on 5
February, 2006. They expressed their sympathy to Fr Santoro’s mother
and two sisters and to Cardinal Camillo Ruini, head of the Italian
Bishops’ Conference.

"It was a very emotional moment. The boy’s mother kissed the Cardinal’s
hand and she and her husband expressed their condolences and deep
sadness. Father Santoro’s family told them they would be praying both
for Santoro and the boy," said the mayor of Trabzon, Volkan Canalioglu
in a statement.

"Santoro’s family told them they would be praying both for Santoro and
the boy," he added. The priest was shot dead at a time of widespread
anger across the Muslim world over the publication of cartoons of
the Prophet Mohammed in European newspapers.

ASSAILANT MOTIVES

However church observers said the motives of the assailant, a
16-year-old identified only as O.A., have never been confirmed. His
trial, in which he was sentenced to 18 years and 10 months in October,
was held behind closed doors because of his young age.

Witnesses have reported the gunman shouted "Allahu Akhbar" or "Allah
Is Great" as he fired two shots at the priest before fleeing. The
expression is used in prayer by Muslims, but also as a rallying cry
by Islamic militants.

Cardinal Ruini, who led the memorial service, called for reconciliation
and understanding between Islam and Christianity. "We are here today in
the spirit of Father Andrea Santoro, respecting Islam and considering
Turkey and the Turks friends. Another reason why we are here is to
show that dialogue between religions is possible and desirable,"
he said in published remarks.

OTTOMAN SULTAN

The Santa Maria Catholic Church was built in the nineteenth century
on the orders of an Ottoman sultan to serve foreign visitors. It now
has a community of about 20 worshipers.

Trabzon, a nationalist stronghold, again came under the spotlight
after the January 19 killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink
in Istanbul. Dink had come under fire for describing as "genocide"
the killings of up to 1.5 million Armenian as well as Assyrian and
Hellenic Christians carried out by Turkish Ottoman forces in the
1915-1917 period.

Turkey’s government has denied the figure or the involvement of Turkish
forces in mass killings and rejects the term "genocide" and no more
than 300,000 Armenians perished at the time. (With reports from Turkey)