Pope Makes Turkish Mosque Visit
Pope Benedict XVI has visited one of Turkey's most famous mosques in what is being seen as an attempt to mend relations with the Muslim community. During his tour of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the pontiff paused in silent prayer alongside senior Muslim clerics.
It marks only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship.
Earlier, the Pope visited the nearby Hagia Sophia Museum - a site heavy with Christian and Muslim symbolism - drawing around 150 protesters. The Pope spent half an hour in Hagia Sophia, a domed complex that was once a Christian centre before becoming a mosque and eventually, a museum.
The protest outside was linked to an Islamist-nationalist party, which said the pontiff's tour was an affront to the secularism enshrined in Turkey's constitution, as well as an attempt to stake a Catholic claim to the site. The demonstrators warned that any hint of a prayer there would be deeply offensive, but the Pope refrained from any religious gesture, such as praying or crossing himself.
The tour of the Blue Mosque - across the square from Hagia Sophia - was a last-minute addition to the schedule. Having removed his shoes, the Pope paused for a full two minutes, eyes closed in prayer, standing side-by-side with the Mufti of Istanbul and the Imam of the Blue Mosque.
Pope Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, is the only other pontiff to have visited a mosque, during a trip to Damascus in 2001. The visit by Pope Benedict was seen as an attempt to repair the damage his comments on Islam in September caused across the Muslim world.
Speaking to an academic audience in Germany, the Pope quoted a Byzantine emperor who characterised Islam as a violent religion. While the Pope insisted the remarks did not reflect his personal views, the speech was widely reported and caused anger across the Islamic world.
Since arriving in Turkey on Tuesday, he has offered wide-ranging messages of reconciliation to Muslims, including appeals for support for Turkey's bid to join the EU - which would make it the first member with a majority Muslim population.
Story from BBC NEWS.
Pope Benedict XVI has visited one of Turkey's most famous mosques in what is being seen as an attempt to mend relations with the Muslim community. During his tour of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the pontiff paused in silent prayer alongside senior Muslim clerics.
It marks only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship.
Earlier, the Pope visited the nearby Hagia Sophia Museum - a site heavy with Christian and Muslim symbolism - drawing around 150 protesters. The Pope spent half an hour in Hagia Sophia, a domed complex that was once a Christian centre before becoming a mosque and eventually, a museum.
The protest outside was linked to an Islamist-nationalist party, which said the pontiff's tour was an affront to the secularism enshrined in Turkey's constitution, as well as an attempt to stake a Catholic claim to the site. The demonstrators warned that any hint of a prayer there would be deeply offensive, but the Pope refrained from any religious gesture, such as praying or crossing himself.
The tour of the Blue Mosque - across the square from Hagia Sophia - was a last-minute addition to the schedule. Having removed his shoes, the Pope paused for a full two minutes, eyes closed in prayer, standing side-by-side with the Mufti of Istanbul and the Imam of the Blue Mosque.
Pope Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, is the only other pontiff to have visited a mosque, during a trip to Damascus in 2001. The visit by Pope Benedict was seen as an attempt to repair the damage his comments on Islam in September caused across the Muslim world.
Speaking to an academic audience in Germany, the Pope quoted a Byzantine emperor who characterised Islam as a violent religion. While the Pope insisted the remarks did not reflect his personal views, the speech was widely reported and caused anger across the Islamic world.
Since arriving in Turkey on Tuesday, he has offered wide-ranging messages of reconciliation to Muslims, including appeals for support for Turkey's bid to join the EU - which would make it the first member with a majority Muslim population.
Story from BBC NEWS.
[Sigh. And I had such high hopes for this guy. He got off to such a great start. Oh well. Meet the new Pope...same as the old Pope. It would seem that the apostles of appeasement have already cast their spell over our man in The Vatican. As the de facto spokesperson for millions of Catholics, not to mention the man seen by many worldwide as the public voice of Christendom, no one is in a better position to speak out against the evils of Islamofacism. But instead, he betrays the legacy of the Christian faith and the entire Western world. And what a bitter betrayal it is. No one knows better just how many Christians have been slaughtered by the gentle prophet's religion of peace than the Pope. And that just IN OUR LIFETIME! From the Ivory Coast to the Sudan, from Indonesia to Pakistan, from Lebanon to Eritrea. The death toll is staggering. And yet Benedict plays politics and makes nice with the ancient enemies of Christianity...and indeed of all Westerners everywhere regardless of their religious creed. Does he truly think that radical Islam is remotely interested in peacemaking? The silent witness of 1500 years of blood soaked history is a stark and undeniable testimony to the contrary. When will the West awake from her dreamy slumber? The jihadists are only interested in "peace" when they are in the minority and can use it to their political advantage. But let them gain the cultural high hand, and the true face of their ideology is revealed. Sadly, at a time when the world is in dire need of senior statesmen with lion-like boldness, our leaders have all alike turned into pussyfooting wimps. Where are the thundering orators, the fearless voices of defiance, the Elijahs who dare to spit in the bloody and murderous eye of the false prophets? Where is Churchill when we need him? - Martel]
