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Tuesday, 12 December 2006 18:47 |
| John North
Editor & Publisher |
Amid extraordinary security precautions, Pope Benedict XVIës recent trip to Turkey proved to be an eye-opener, as he put much effort into winning friends and influencing people in the Muslim world.
Besides attempting to mend relations between the West and Muslims, the pontiff repeatedly urged Muslim leaders to "utterly refuse" to support any form of violence in the name of faith.
In turn, Turkeyës leaders complained about growing "Islamophobia" in the world.
The
original reason for the popeës venture to Turkey was to meet in
Istanbul with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader
of the worldës Orthodox Christians. That goal was accomplished.
The pontiff also
called for greater rights and protections for Christian minorities in
the Muslim world, including the small Greek Orthodox community in
Turkey.
However, his
trip ultimately was viewed as a symbolic pilgrimage, offering hope of
religious reconciliation of what many say is a growing divide between
the Christian and Islamic worlds.
Of course, the
pontiff also was seeking to ease anger over his perceived criticism of
Islam following his speech in September in which he quoted a
14th-century Christian emperor, who characterized the Prophet
Muhammadës teachings as "evil and inhuman, such as his command to
spread by thy sword the faith he preached."
After the popeës
visit to Turkey was completed, Muslim leaders expressed positive
sentiments regarding his efforts to promote dialogue and bridge
differences.
While I think
the pontiffës initiative was laudable and that he sincerely wants
peace, there remains a disingenous element ÇƒÓ the popeës previous
reference to the connection between Islam and violence is demonstrably
true, albeit politically incorrect.
Despite my
skepticism, I think the pope made some headway in thawing relations
with Muslim leaders ÇƒÓ and that surely is a hopeful sign for the future.
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