The Pope in Turkey

politics/law, religion — By Bob Riel on November 29, 2006 at 7:30 am

Pope Benedict XVI has embarked a trip to Turkey, where he began by supporting Turkey’s membership in the European Union and calling for more dialogue between Christians and Muslims. The Pope’s travels have spurred a flurry of media coverage, focusing not only on religion but also on Turkey and it’s role as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East. Here is a sampling of the coverage:

The Christian Science Monitor discusses the need for the Pope to mend spiritual fences.

… the original purpose of the trip – an opportunity to heal the 1,000-year-old schism between the Vatican and the Orthodox Church, whose spiritual leader resides in Istanbul – has changed.

Since offending Muslims in a September speech that linked Islam with violence, Pope Benedict’s visit – his first to a Muslim country – is now being billed as a chance for him to heal another East-West divide, that between Christianity and Islam.

The BBC News talks about how the world has changed since Pope John Paul II visited Istanbul in 1979.

The legacy of the defunct Ottoman Empire has receded even further into history; Turkey is knocking at the door of the European Union; Europe is becoming ever more secular; the Christian presence is haemorrhaging away in the war-torn Middle East; and the Roman Catholic Church is now competing vigorously with Islam for converts in sub-Saharan Africa.

And the New York Times writes about the modern balancing act in Turkey between a secular democracy and the pull of the Islamic faith.

Turkey – a democratic Muslim country with a rigidly secular state – is at a pivot point. It is trying to navigate between the forces that want to pull it closer to Islam and the institutions that safeguard its secularism. …

The extremes jostle on Istanbul’s streets, where miniskirts mix with tightly tied head scarves and lingerie boutiques stand unapologetically next to mosques.

“There are two Turkeys within Turkey right now,” said Binnaz Toprak, a professor of political science at Bogazici University.

Turkey is certainly a unique country, with its feet dipped in multiple worlds and cultures, and this week’s visit by the Pope is a great opportunity to take advantage of the increased media coverage and to learn about this ancient and interesting land.