GERMAN BISHOP VOICES CONCERN FOR MOR GABRIEL
Hurriyet
March 18 2009
Turkey
ANKARA – German Protestant Church members called for efforts to
promote dialogue between Muslims and Christians during comprehensive
talks with government officials early this week.
The delegation headed by Bishop Wolfgang Huber was in Ankara and
Istanbul from March 13 to 16, meeting with representatives of the
Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches as well as members of the Jewish
community. In Ankara, Huber held talks with Religious Affairs Director
Ali Bardakoglu and gave a lecture at the Theology Faculty of the
Ankara University.
His discussions with Turkish officials centered on ways to bridge
the existing gaps between different religions, mainly between Islam
and Christianity, and reach a better understanding. Huber shared
concerns about a land dispute surrounding Mor Gabriel, a Christian
church located near Turkey’s border with Syria, and said more needs
to be done to create an environment that allows religious minorities
to observe their religion. In his lecture at Ankara University, Huber
said both Islam and Christianity faced common problems, warning against
fundamentalist interpretation of the holy books by certain groups that
led to the political or ideological abuse of the Koran and the Bible.