Pope's Silence on Armenian Genocide Shameful

Dec. 1, 2006
ABC News
OPINION By MARK GERAGOS

Benedict Missed a Chance During His Historic Visit to Turkey

After an initial foray into interfaith relations by inciting almost 2 billion Muslims with ill-advised references to the legacy of their prophet Mohammed, Pope Benedict XVI leaves Turkey with the press hailing the visit a success.

Much like the war in Iraq, however, defining the simple concept of "success" has become increasingly like declaring "mission accomplished." Case in point, the pope's recent visit to Turkey.

Following the pontiff's gaffe heard 'round the Muslim world, the fact that larger protests and riots didn't accompany his visit to Turkey must have certainly elicited a collective sigh of relief from the Vatican and tempted many prognosticators to proclaim the trip a success.

Perhaps prompted by a sense of relief and joy at not being embarrassed by a rancorous reception upon his arrival to Turkey, the pontiff even took time to don his political advisor cap and stump for Turkey's admission into the European Union.

Fortunately, the more discerning European nations see that issue in a slightly different light and are waiting for Turkey to adopt something other than medieval standards of justice before setting out the welcome mat.

Still, as the leading spiritual figure for Christians around the world, much more is expected and required of the pope.

After all was said and done, and as the cameras rolled and the press jockeyed to capture and transmit images of the pope being led on a tour of Istanbul's Blue Mosque by local Islamic and Christian leaders, the press failed to capture the big, fat, noisy elephant parked squarely amidst this assemblage — Turkey's ongoing legacy of intolerance and oppression.

For too long, the various Christian and other minorities of Turkey have silently suffered the suppression of their rights and the deliberate erosion of their collective memories through the state sponsored destruction of ancient churches and other historical monuments dating back almost two millennia.

These minorities remain mute, not unlike hostages, who are constantly reminded of the harsh consequences visited upon those who dare speak the truth, or see the elephant for what it is.

This past year's stern waggle of the finger by the Turkish government at the mischievous and misbehaving came when the Turkish government prosecuted and convicted the editor of the Armenian language weekly Agos, Hrant Dink for "insulting" Turkish identity.

Ironically, Dink's alleged transgression can be traced to a series of articles he wrote encouraging Armenians in the diaspora to shift their focus away from outing the Turkish denial of the Armenian genocide of 1915 to 1918 and toward assisting the fledgling Republic of Armenia.

Nonetheless, explanation notwithstanding, Dink got dunked and was eventually convicted.

According to press accounts, aside from a vague reference to the Armenian genocide — painfully couched as "tragic conditions … experienced in the past century" — to the Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul, the pontiff said precious little about the genocide or Turkey's unconscionable denial of the same to the Pope's hosts, the people who actually needed to hear it.

While this may be the most glaring omission from what most might envision as an item that would have been on a spiritual leader's "things to do list," it was, unfortunately, not the only one.

The pope evidently failed to mention the destruction of some of the oldest remaining Christian churches in the world located in the ancient Armenian city of Ani, located in present day eastern Turkey.

Nor is there any indication that he brought up the issue of the destruction of Greek Orthodox churches in Northern Cyprus, which remains illegally occupied by the Turks after the invasion of 1974.

It is also unclear whether the pope broached the mistreatment of the Muslim Kurds. Of course, in order to be understood by his hosts, the Pope would have had to refer to them as "Mountain Turks," since the Turkish government blanches at the thought of identifying the 8 million to 10 million Kurds living in Turkey as "Kurds."

While the Armenians, Greeks and Kurds may be the minorities with the most well known grievances, the Jewish and Syrian Orthodox Christian communities have legitimate cause to complain as well.

It is no secret that the Christian and other minority communities in Turkey constantly walk a thin line when seeking to preserve their religious and cultural heritage. These minorities have learned to march to the beat of the intolerant Turkish drum, regardless of the indignities they continue to suffer.

No one can blame them for assuming that position, given Turkey's history of intolerance and retribution.

However, it is situations like this where leadership steps in. In fact, the very purpose of leadership is to speak for those who can not. Evidently, such leadership was not on display as the cameras rolled and dignitaries exchanged pleasantries while strolling through the expansive Blue Mosque.

In the hopes of bridging differences that exist between the Christian and Muslim worlds, turning a blind eye to the festering wounds that exist only serve to widen the gap between East and West.

Perhaps we vest too much hope in religious leaders to stand up and say the things that need to be said. However, I can't help but look at the photos of the pope and other religious leaders assembled and feel that the teetering elephant is ready to collapse upon these leader's followers.

Seems to me that if we start accepting something less than success as success, we may end up having to deal with the same type of success as we have in Iraq.

Mark Geragos is a lawyer who has represented former Rep. Gary Condit, former first brother Roger Clinton, Academy award-winning actress Winona Ryder, pop star Michael Jackson and Scott Peterson.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.

Pope recalls Armenian genocide

Istanbul, Nov. 30, 2006 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) brought up the sensitive topic of the Armenian genocide-- although he did not mention it explicitly-- during a November 30 meeting with the Armenian Apostolic Patriarch of Istanbul, Mesrob II.

In his greeting to the patriarch, the Holy Father praised the Armenian people for their faithful witness to the Gospel, even under "truly tragic conditions, like those experienced in the past century." He was clearly alluding to the slaughter of Armenians under the Ottoman empire.

To this day the Turkish government refuses to acknowledge the genocidal campaign of 1915- 1917, in which an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed during massacres and forced marches, as the government of the "Young Turks" forced the relocation of an entire people. The Armenian Apostolic Church remains the largest Christian community in Turkey, but today numbers only about 50,000 faithful; in the late 19th century the number was several million. There are about 2 million members of the Church living in the country now known as Armenia.

In his remarks to Patriarch Mesrob, the Pope expressed regret over the divisions among the Christian faithful, repeating what he had said to the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew: that these divisions are "a scandal to the world" and a handicap to effective evangelization.

The Armenian Apostolic Church dates back to the year 506, when the Christian leaders of the region broke away from the Catholic Church over disagreements with the doctrines put forth by the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Those theological disputes have been resolved, and in 1996 Pope John Paul II (bio - news) and the former head of the Armenian Church, Karekin I, jointly signed a document affirming that the two churches have reached accord on the Christological issues that originally caused their separation.

Pope Benedict joined with the Armenian patriarch in a prayer service at the Armenian cathedral in Istanbul. Later he would meet with the city's grand rabbi, then end the day at a dinner with the Catholic bishops of Turkey.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.

Benedict XVI between Constantinople and Istanbul

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
American Chronicle
Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

Orientalist, Assyriologist, Egyptologist, Iranologist, and Islamologist, Historian, Political Scientist, Dr. Megalommatis, 49, is the author of 12 books, dozens of scholarly articles, hundreds of encyclopedia entries, and thousands of articles. He speaks, reads and writes more than 15, modern and ancient, languages. He refuted Greek nationalism, supported Martin Bernal’s Black Athena, and rejected the Greco-Romano-centric version of History. He pleaded for the European History by J. B. Duroselle, and defended the rights of the Turkish, Pomak, Macedonian, Vlachian, Arvanitic, Latin Catholic, and Jewish minorities of Greece, asking for the international recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Born Christian Orthodox, he adhered to Islam when 36, devoted to ideas of Muhyieldin Ibn al Arabi. Greek citizen of Turkish origin, Prof. Megalommatis studied and/or worked in Turkey, Greece, France, England, Belgium, Germany, Syria, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Egypt and Russia, and carried out research trips throughout the Middle East, Northeastern Africa and Central Asia. His career extended from Research & Education, Journalism, Publications, Photography, and Translation to Website Development, Human Rights Advocacy, Marketing, Sales & Brokerage. He traveled in more than 80 countries in 5 continents. He defends the Right of Aramaeans, Oromos, Berbers, and Beja to National Independence, demands international recognition for Somaliland, and denounces Islamic Terrorism.

When, within a few hours, the Pope will land in Istanbul, he will find himself for a few days outside Time; the evenly balanced gravitation of Istanbul and Constantinople will place the Pontiff at a uniquely equidistant point between Turkey and Europe, Christianity and Islam, and Orient and Occident. Few moments counted as much as this in the World History.

Pontiff’s visit is the Terminus Post Quem

Conflicting interests and disastrous policies cultivated and pursued for hundreds of years by all parts involved, in the past and the present, have brought the world at the brink of the abyss. Few realize how close the Mankind has reached to the point of collapse. From ecological disasters caused because of the Industrial revolution, the emergence of a besotted society of consumers, and the repeated arms races of all sorts to cultural and educational alienation of hundreds of millions of people, the Mankind deviated to the utmost materialism, extreme oppression, and absolute disregard of the Other, let alone the other’s sensitivities.

Suddenly, the world has become too small to accommodate an ill-conceived European unification, an American presence in five continents, two expansionist economies like those of China and India that are based on extreme and at times inhuman exploitation of masses without alleviating poverty and misery, plus unjustified and unsolicited anti-Americanism that emanates from uncultured and thuggish dictators like the Venezuelan clown, and last but not least, the hysteria and the hatred directed by the pseudo-Islamic sheikhs and their millions of followers against all the rest.

And all interconnected and interrelated to an extent that you almost cannot mend this without deteriorating that. What to do, and where to start?

Benedict XVI does not represent the Occident!

To some this statement may sound odd and erroneous, but brief thought is enough to drive us to the conclusion that Benedict XVI does not and by definition cannot represent the gay couples legalized in Spain or the accepted adoption of children by them. Furthermore, Benedict XVI does not represent abortion, pedophilia, and the ceaselessly increasing consumption of drugs by Western youth. No one can disagree on this; Benedict XVI and the Roman Catholic Church do not represent the advanced materialism that invaded the Western societies, taking all possible forms of existentialism of the Left, Marxism, anarchism and/or nihilism. Even more so, Benedict XVI does not represent secretive groups, plots and conspiracies, racism and anti-Semitism, all the ideological contaminations that brought wars and disaster to Europe and the world.

Benedict XVI represents, is the only Authority in the West to represent, Justice, Equity, Humanism, dedication to Spiritual Concern, and a certain Hope for many.

Benedict XVI represents Jesus, a person highly revered by Muslims, and adored by Christians. There is no divergence between the Christian and the Muslim sources about, and references to, Jesus as regards his Foremost Authority in terms of Justice and Equity.

Representing Jesus’ Legacy – or at least part of it as Muslims claim that too –, Benedict XVI can truly offer great service to the confused Mankind of our times, by sticking to the most representative Criterion for Jesus’ Concept of Justice; he must make it his, apply it everywhere, and support the approach:

Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.

Representing this sentence, Luke, 20:23-25, bringing forth Justice in the relations among states and nations, religions and ideologies, Benedict XVI has a chance to be heard and accepted by a significant number of Muslims, who know that the Right and the Just is not the monopoly of those who pray – like the Pharisees of Jesus’ times – five times per day, but forget to endure self-criticism and rejection of egoism.

Benedict XVI to vigorously support Turkey’s adhesion to the European Union

The Pontiff is a Head of State; and as such, he is able to understand that Vatican’s policies are not situated at the miserable level of parochial politicians like the former French Prime Minister Alain Juppé and other lower and lewder fellows of the French Right.

The Pontiff cannot tolerate perverse political interests that would jeopardize the entire relationship of Christianity with Islam. As an institution, millennia long Vatican cannot be compared with, and therefore cannot allow policies corresponding to those of, the French Fifth Republic (est. 1958). The horizon of the universal Christian – Muslim relations cannot be damaged at the hands of people like Angela Merkel, Nicholas Sarkozy, and their likes. Looking at the centuries ahead, Benedict XVI, although German of origin, cannot take into consideration the current pocket interests of German employees and workers.

What could all this miserable microcosm of the European politicians say, when Benedict XVI stipulates that Ephesus, Smyrna and Thyateira are as European as Stockholm and Dublin?

What would they answer to the Pontiff stating that Basil of Caesarea is as European, although Cappadocian, as Mohyieldin Ibn Al Arabi of Andalusia?

One sentence of the Pontiff can avert a most perilous blockage of the Turkish candidature at the hands of the Southern Cypriot president who is known for his long dated hatred of Catholic Christianity.

Benedict XVI to adamantly denounce colonial practices

The possibility to understand is one of the most significant privileges of the human being. Certainly the Pope understands that the masses gathered at the Aghia Sophia Museum two days ago do not hate him personally; they reject the injustices and the crimes carried out by the French and the British in Algeria, Greece, Egypt, Syria, Arabia and Mesopotamia.

By denouncing practices that were never accepted by Vatican, the Pontiff will demonstrate to hundreds of millions of Muslims that he agrees with them in the Search of Justice, namely that he indirectly condemns the murderous work of the colonials, and their illegal, unjust, and ultimately antihuman interference in the lands of the Ottoman Empire.

The Pontiff understands very well that the manipulation of Christian populations of the Ottoman Empire by the French, the Russians, and the British, who mercilessly and cynically abandoned these populations, after they had first long incited them against their own country, was a disreputable work for which the absolute condemnation is badly and urgently needed.

France rather than Turkey stands accused for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Armenians of Van and of Aramaeans of Julamerg (the Kutshanus Patriarchate) and Tur Abdin. What does it mean except dishonesty and duplicity that France is vociferous when it comes to Armenians killed in WW I, but keeps silent about the parallel extermination of hundreds of thousands of Aramaeans?

The act of the genocide speaks for itself without resorting to justifications.

Either all will be denounced or we all will forget it all. The cynical, unethical and disreputable attitude of thugs like the racist Kotcharian tyrant of Armenia, and his French presidential friend, must be castigated in Jesus language and terms.?

Even the longest trip starts with a first step.

Only then, the Muslims will be able to repent for their mistakes, regret for the oppression of millions of Aramaeans and Copts at their hands, be apologetic for their anti-Semitism, and finally, commonly with the Roman Pontiff, and all those who seek Justice and Truth on Earth, contribute to shaping a future faraway from the contamination of the anticlerical French conspirators.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.

Talking with Turkey

Ottawa Citizen
November 28, 2006 Tuesday
Final Edition

Some 25,000 Turks hit the streets of Istanbul this weekend to protest
the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. That's good news. Not the protest
itself, but the fact that only 25,000 people took part in a city of
10 million. The Turkish "street" is perhaps more reasonable than
people think.

True, other protests are planned and Benedict will be under a massive
security blanket during his four-day trip. But the pontiff is working
hard to improve Christian-Muslim relations. On Sunday he sent
"cordial greetings" of "esteem and sincere friendship" to "the dear
Turkish people." As a welcome show of good will, Benedict will visit
the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, becoming only the second pope to set
foot in a mosque, after John Paul II in 2001.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, has been
able to "find time" to meet the Pope today at Ankara airport.
Otherwise, Mr. Erdogan, en route to a NATO summit in Latvia, will be
absent for the duration of the Pope's trip. The prime minister
insisted his absence was no snub and that the Pope was welcome in
Turkey, though he cautioned that "whoever comes here must show
respect for the Prophet Muhammad."

Mr. Erdogan's awkward, somewhat conflicted attitude toward the Pope's
visit is suggestive of Turkey's general ambivalence about the
non-Muslim world. Turkey, though, is country of sufficient strategic
interest that the West needs very much to nurture this relationship.

Sometimes this is hard to do. Turkey's human-rights record is shaky.
The country's refusal to admit the Armenian genocide is unfortunate.
The stubborn demand for an end to the isolation of Northern Cyprus,
the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state that only Turkey recognizes, is
putting the country's accession into full membership in the European
Union on hold yet again.

Yet we need Turkey on our side. Turkey is a strong counterpoint to
the geopolitical ambitions of Iran and Syria. As a Muslim country
committed to the separation of mosque and state, Turkey is a buttress
against religious fundamentalism in the region. Turkey has its flaws
to be sure, but it remains a functioning democracy built upon a
population that is mainly Muslim.

Western leaders should never surrender their prerogative to speak
plainly to the Turkish government on matters of conscience. But as
with any mature relationship, and we see this in the dialogue with
countries such as Russia and China, the criticism ought to be
balanced with positive and constructive incentives.

The pope has chosen the right path by visiting the Blue Mosque. It is
a gesture of respect. Talking with Turkey about its place in the
European Union must continue. At the end of the day, the benefits of
having Turkey firmly within the western orbit justify the efforts
needed to keep the relationship healthy. If there is one country that
can demonstrate the compatibility of Islam and democracy, it will be Turkey.

Istanbul's Muslims Protest Ahead of Papal Visit

26.11.2006
Deutsche Welle
DW staff (df)

The main goal of Pope Benedict XVI's Istanbul trip is to mend fences with the Orthodox Christian Church as well as Muslims, who were offended by remarks the pontiff made about Islam during a visit to Bavaria.

On Tuesday, when Pope Benedict XVI pays his first visit to predominantly Muslim Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, head of the ruling Islamic party and his Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will be attending the two-day NATO summit in Riga. Even Mehmet Aydin, the minister of religious affairs will be headed to the pope's native Germany, leaving the task of receiving Benedict in Istanbul to Erdogan's deputy, Mehmet Ali Sahin.

In addition to the less than high-level official reception, protesters in Istanbul this week rallied against the pontiff's visit, drawing tens of thousands of demonstrators. One speaker was cheered when he described the pope as the enemy of all Muslims and proclaimed that he should never be allowed to enter a Muslim country.

"The pope is coming and yet he said such terrible things about our most sacred prophet," the speaker said. "We don't want this bad and dangerous man here. We are here to defend our homeland, our nation and our faith."

The protestor was referring to remarks Benedict, the former Joseph Ratzinger, had made at a lecture at the University of Regensburg, in his native Bavaria in September, in which he made reference to a 14th century Byzantine emperor, who had characterized the teachings of the prophet Mohammed as "evil and inhuman."

Although the pope swiftly expressed regret for the flap, his remarks infuriated many Muslims. Before being elected Pope, Benedict had also offended the Turks for his stance against their country's bid to join the European Union, saying that its population of mainly Sunni Muslims did not belong to Europe either culturally or religiously.


Dialogue to re-establish ties with Orthodox Christian churches

One of the main goals of the pope's visit is to re-establish ties with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of the world's orthodox Christians. The Vatican has been estranged from this eastern branch of Christianity since the schism of 1054, which was followed by a long feud over liturgical differences and papal supremacy. Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, was the capital of the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire before being overtaken by the Muslim Turks in 1453.

"The pope's visit is an expression of the desire for unity, but it is not easy to resolve some of the issues dividing us," Archbishop Demetrius, head of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States, told Reuters.

"With such a long history of separation, you cannot move in a big jump. You need a methodical, step-by-step approach," said Demetrius, who will be in Istanbul for the papal visit.

Unlike Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians maintain a loose diaspora of churches around the world, which are mostly based in Greece, Russia, Armenia and the Balkan states. Only a tiny minority of Turkey's population is Christian.

Security tight during Benedict's three-day visit

Turkey's security forces said they won't be taking chances during the papal visit, which will involve over 30,000 police, bomb disposal experts as well as unprecedented air and sea surveillance.

More police will protect Pope Benedict XVI when he visits Turkey than were deployed for US President George W. Bush, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul announced Sunday.

"The security measures being taken for the pope in Turkey are higher than taken for George W. Bush," Gul said in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

The police will also be monitoring groups hostile to the pope, such as the lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, a leading member of an ultra-nationalist movement, who is still working hard to force a cancellation.

"The pope's visit is the biggest danger facing Turkey," Kerincsiz said. "It will constitute a great step in uniting the two main Christian churches. If this occurs, the Christians will then try and create a state within Istanbul like the Vatican."

Although such rhetoric is somewhat far-reaching, Kerincsiz's words strike a chord among many Turks in a climate of growing anti-European sentiment. However, at Orthodox Churches across Turkey, prayers are being said for Benedict's forthcoming visit. Patriarch Bartholomew has stressed that the Pope's trip will be a chance to show the world a modern, tolerant Turkey.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.

Tens of thousands protest in Turkey against pope's upcoming visit

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) - Tens of thousands of Turks protested Sunday against Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to this predominantly Muslim country.

Police said some 25,000 people joined the demonstration, the largest anti-pope protest so far ahead of Benedict's arrival Tuesday. Some 4,000 officers backed by riot trucks, armoured vehicles and helicopters monitored the protest as the crowd grew.

The protest was organized by a pro-Islamic political party called Felicity, whose leaders have said they were offended by Benedict's comments linking violence and Islam.

Benedict, who is making his first trip as pope to a predominantly Muslim country, has expressed regret for offending Muslims by his remarks and said they did not reflect his personal views.

Protesters shouted "God is great" in Arabic and carried posters asking the pope not to come to Turkey. They also draped signs on the way from the Istanbul airport.

Some banners accused Benedict of encouraging terrorism by linking Islam and violence. Many simply called on the pope to apologize.

In a speech in September in his native Germany, the pontiff quoted a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of Muhammad's teachings as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."

The remarks set off a wave of reproaches and anti-Vatican protests across the Muslim world, including in Turkey.

"The pope was disrespectful to us and he needs to apologize," a banner at Sunday's demonstration said.

Seafetin Tuleg, 70, wrapped himself in a Felicity Party flag and said Muslims revered the Jewish and Christian prophets but did not receive the same respect for their own.

"We love Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, but the pope doesn't love Muhammad and Islam," he said.

Kubra Yigitoglu, 20, attending the protest in a head scarf, ankle-length coat and cowboy boots, called Turkey "an Islamic republic" and said, "the pope is not wanted here."

Officially, Turkey is a rigidly secular republic, though around 99 per cent of its population is Muslim.

Benedict has few fans in Turkey, which is hoping to become the first predominantly Muslim member of the European Union. Benedict had previously spoken out against Turkey's EU bid, and has called for a return to fundamental Christian values in Europe.

Benedict is scheduled to stay for four days. He will meet the Istanbul-based leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew I.

In the Vatican on Sunday, Benedict expressed his "feelings of esteem and of sincere friendship" for Turks and their leaders, and the Vatican spokesman confirmed that the pope would visit Istanbul's Blue Mosque as "a sign of respect" to Muslims.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.

Turkish knot – Trip poses daunting, interlocking tests for Pope Benedict

11/21/2006
National Catholic Reporter (www.ncronline.org)
By John L. Allen Jr.

ROME (National Catholic Reporter) – When Pope Benedict XVI travels to Turkey Nov. 28-Dec. 1, he faces a series of challenges that, like concentric circles, become larger and more daunting as they’re arranged around one another. Coupled with the intense media attention the trip is certain to draw – more than 2,000 journalists are expected to follow the pope on his first visit to a majority Muslim state – these complexities make Turkey the trickiest high-wire act of his pontificate to date.

Benedict is scheduled to make stops in Ankara, Ephesus and Istanbul. Among the conundrums awaiting him:

- How to reassure Muslims that he’s a friend of Islam, especially in the wake of his controversial Sept. 12 comments at the University of Regensburg, quoting a 14th-century Byzantine emperor to the effect that Muhammad brought things “only evil and inhuman”? Benedict won’t have to wait long; on the first day of the trip, he meets Ali Bardakoglu, Turkey’s top religious affairs director, who called the Regensburg remarks “regrettable and worrying ... both for the Christian world and for the common peace of humanity.”

- How to encourage moderate Muslim voices in Turkey, a country often seen as the best hope for dialogue with the Islamic world, without inadvertently reinforcing either of two contrary forces: on the one hand, a rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism sometimes linked to nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire; and on the other, the rigid secularization associated with the modern founder of Turkey, Kemal Atatürk, who attempted to suppress virtually every public expression of Islam?

- What, if anything, to say about the dire situation facing Turkey’s small Christian communities, such as the forced closure of the seminaries of the patriarchate of Constantinople and the Armenian Orthodox church? If the pope is perceived as confrontational, it could further sour relations with Muslims, especially given the bitter history in Turkey of foreign powers demanding special treatment for Christians. Yet the original purpose of Benedict’s visit was to reinforce ecumenical relations with the Orthodox, especially Bartholomew I, patriarch of Constantinople, and it’s difficult to imagine that the pope can remain silent on the issue of religious freedom.

- What, if anything, to say about Turkey’s candidacy for the European Union – a move which then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had opposed prior to his election as pope, on the grounds that it would further muddy Europe’s Christian identity? (Ironically, the more radical Muslim forces in Turkey, which Benedict wants to discourage, are the most likely to be Euro-skeptics.)

- What, if anything, to say about the decimation of Turkey’s Armenian population in the early 20th century, which Armenians recall as “genocide,” a term bitterly contested by Turks? Especially when Benedict meets the Armenian patriarch in Turkey, Mesrob II, on Nov. 30, it will be a tough question to avoid.

- What, if anything, to say about the delicate situation on Cyprus, where an unrecognized Turkish regime controls the northern portion of the island? On Nov. 10, Benedict met with President Tassos Papadopoulos, who governs the Greek-dominated (and therefore predominantly Christian) portion of Cyprus, receiving a collection of photos from Papadopoulos showing Christian churches in the north that have been destroyed or converted into mosques, bars and hotels. The meeting was widely seen in Turkey as a pro-Greek gesture, and it raised expectations that Benedict may address the Cyprus question during the trip.

Beyond these challenges, one final unknown hovers in the form of security considerations. In perhaps the most ominous premonition, a potboiler novel published in Turkey over the summer titled Papa’ya suikast (Attack on the Pope) predicted that Benedict will be assassinated while in Turkey. Written by novelist Yücel Kaya, the book is subtitled, “Who will kill Benedict XVI in Istanbul?”

Both senior Vatican officials and local organizers say that while the pope can be protected, it may prove more difficult to secure local Christian targets – churches, schools and Christian-owned businesses – against reprisals should public opinion turn against the trip or should extremist groups want to capitalize on the pope’s presence to lash out.

Turkey thus offers both promise and peril aplenty for Benedict’s effort to engage Muslims in what he has called a “frank and sincere” dialogue.

Despite Atatürk’s vision in the early 20th century of a modern, pro-Western Turkey, the Islamic roots of the country are never far from the surface. Historically, the Ottoman Empire was considered the great carrier of Islamic civilization from the 16th to the 20th centuries, and Turkish Muslims have kept that heritage alive despite several decades of official secularization.

The electoral victory of Islamic-inspired political forces in the 2002 national elections, which brought former Istanbul Mayor Recep Tayyip Erdogan to power as prime minister, offered a clear reminder of Turkey’s enduring Muslim identity. (Erdogan will not meet Benedict in Turkey, opting instead to attend a NATO summit in Latvia.)

A recent national poll conducted by Professors Ali Carkoglu and Ersin Kalaycioglu from Sabanci and Isik Universities in Istanbul found that more than 60 percent of Turks would refuse permission for their daughter to marry a non-Muslim, 60 percent blamed a lack of religious beliefs for “failure in life,” and 46 percent favored schools specialized in religious teachings for their children over schools with secular curriculums. Almost 70 percent said they considered the country’s ban on headscarves for women to be religious oppression and supported its repeal.

Further, it’s uniformly believed in Turkey that if the country were to lurch too far in the direction of an Islamic theocracy along the lines of neighboring Iran, the Turkish military would intervene and restore the country’s officially secular orientation. The military toppled heads of state in 1960, 1971 and 1980, and engineered a bloodless “postmodern coup” in 1997 that resulted in the forced resignation of then-Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, who had exploited pro-Islamic sentiment.

Benedict’s more challenging line on Islam with respect to his predecessor, John Paul II, has to date revolved around two points: terrorism and “reciprocity,” meaning the need for Islamic states to respect Western standards of religious freedom. In that light, it’s difficult to imagine that Benedict would visit Turkey and not at least indirectly raise issues of religious freedom, such as the status of the Halki Seminary of the patriarchate of Constantinople, shuttered by government edict for 35 years, or the status of Greek Orthodox churches and other institutions in Cyprus.

Such issues, however, risk inflaming Turkish opinion, potentially being seen as further proof of an anti-Turkish bias. At least one local Christian leader, the Armenian patriarch in Turkey, Mesrob II, has expressed hope that the pope won’t bring up such matters, which he described as “interfering in the internal affairs of Turkey.”

“It should be dealt with on a different basis, not during an apostolic visit,” he told National Catholic Reporter in September 2005.

In part, such reluctance reflects historical memories of the long decline of the Ottoman Empire, when first the French and then other foreign powers extracted a series of “capitulations” granting special privileges to Christians. The system began at street level: Christian women, for example, were allowed to travel first-class on second-class tickets on the ferries that crisscrossed the Bosphorus. In fact, when Atatürk declared equality before the law for all Turkish citizens in the early 20th century, some Christians protested on the grounds that it would mean giving up a patchwork of special advantages and perks.

Many Turks associate these capitulations with the gradual undermining of the Ottoman Empire, so the specter of Western figures demanding better treatment for Christians today tends to awaken these historical ghosts. Benedict faces the challenge of phrasing his defense of Turkey’s Christians, who are generally Greek and Armenian, as a matter of universal human rights in a way that doesn’t simply deepen Turkish defensiveness.

That may be especially tricky, given that for many Turkish Muslims, Benedict XVI doesn’t start with a clean slate. Aside from Regensburg, he is also known for widely publicized comments prior to his election as pope opposing Turkey’s European Union candidacy.

In a 2004 interview with the French daily Le Figaro, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said that Turkey has always been “in permanent contrast to Europe,” and that it should look instead to play a leadership role in a network of Islamic states.

“In the course of history, Turkey has always represented a different continent,” Ratzinger said, giving as an example the Ottoman Empire, which once invaded Europe as far as Vienna. “Making the two continents identical would be a mistake,” he said. “It would mean a loss of richness, the disappearance of the cultural to the benefit of economics.”

It’s not clear whether Ratzinger’s private opinion as cardinal will drive the Vatican’s formal diplomatic stance now that he’s pope. Some Christian leaders hope not.

“Isn’t it hypocritical to say that a Muslim country at the edge of Europe, which is much more moderate than many other Islamic nations, as secular as it can be within its own tradition, can’t enter simply because it’s Muslim?” said Mesrob, the Armenian patriarch in Turkey, who studied in Rome at the Dominican-run Angelicum University.

Mesrob gave three reasons why he supports Turkey’s entry:

- “As a citizen on the street, I believe that if Turkey is in the EU, its whole system of law will have to be upgraded by the standards of European forms of democracy.”

- As a Christian, I believe that Turkey’s entry will help build a multicultural society in which Christians have equal opportunities.”

- “As an Armenian, I believe Europe will not allow Turkey to enter without fixing its problems with Greece, Cyprus and Armenia.”

The Armenian question is itself yet another potential headache.

There are only some 2,000 Greek Orthodox Christians in Turkey, but almost 100,000 Armenian Orthodox, including 68,000 Turkish Armenians and 30,000 migrant laborers. Both they and the worldwide Armenian diaspora, which is especially strong in the United States, will be waiting to hear Benedict say something about the mass killing of Armenians in Eastern Anatolia in 1915, and again in 1922 and 1923, a tragedy that Armenians remember as a genocide, but which Turks insist involved atrocities on all sides. (Conventional estimates are that somewhere between 800,000 and 1.5 million Armenians died during this period.)

When John Paul II in 2001 visited the Tzitzernagaberd Memorial in Yerevan, capital of the independent republic of Armenia, he did not himself use the word “genocide,” referring instead in Armenian to the Metz Yeghern, a phrase that means “great killing.” Yet John Paul and Armenian Patriarch Karekin II put out a joint statement recalling the suffering of “what is generally referred to as the first genocide of the 20th century.”

Given that precedent, it may be especially difficult for Benedict XVI to avoid the term himself. Yet if he does, it is sure to be taken by many Turks as another slight, especially in light of a recent dustup with France over a proposed French law that would make it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide.

At almost every turn in Turkey, Benedict faces tough choices. His every utterance will be subjected to microscopic scrutiny both by the media and by Muslim commentators.

Whatever happens, the world should have a more clear sense by the evening of Dec. 1, when Benedict’s plane leaves Turkish airspace, of what kind of dialogue with Islam he may be able to engineer – and, perhaps, of what kind of pope he hopes to be.

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John L. Allen Jr. is National Catholic Reporter senior correspondent.


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Republished from the Nov. 24, 2006, issue by Catholic Online with permission of the National Catholic Reporter (www.ncronline.org), a Catholic Online Preferred Publishing Partner.


Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.