Flashpoint: Azerbaijan

This is an interesting blog post by David Goldman, also known as Spengler of Asia Times Online.

He has a quote from Bloomberg News on how Iran is beaming Azeri-language programming to its neighbor in a bid to destabilize the pro-western government. Goldman mentions as well the fault lines of Azeri society and how they reflect the larger lines in the Middle East. Two-thirds of Azeris are Shi'ites, like Iran, and Azerbaijan has historically been known as northern Persia. But Azeris are ethnically Turkic and are viewed by Sunni Turkey as its own ancestral backyard.

At the political current events blog I read, Hot Air, a lot has been made lately of Turkey's drift towards Islamism and Iran. But in his blog post, Goldman sees rather that Azerbaijan is the wedge between the two and Turkey is moving into alignment with the likes of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states in a bid to counter Iranian ambitions.

Goldman's conclusion is rather pessimistic:

But it is not surprising that the oil price should keep rising. The United States government is in the hands of a clique of amateurs like Samantha Power and Susan Rice, human-rights romantics without a clue about the real power relationships, while the ground has shifted under the regimes of the Middle East. Iran’s ambitions are the main concern in Riyadh and Ankara, and the weakness of the Assad regime in Syria–Iran’s main regional ally–make the situation very tippy indeed.

More on Bishop Padovese

Before getting started, a note on the honorific of monsignor. Since in Italy it's used as a courtesy, I am leaving it out, though most news sources use it for Bishop Padovese. No disrespect is intended.

First, from Asia News: Archbishop of Smyrna: The martyrdom of bishop Padovese want the truth and not "pious lies" by Bernardo Cervellera

This article is badly translated into English, so I won't quote from it extensively. But from what I gather, the Latin archbishop of Smyrna/Izmir is familiar with the murder Murat Altun and thinks that the murder was one of political motivation rather than religious. The Islamic elements of the crime are mere red herrings to throw off the investigation and confuse the public. Archbishop Franceschini completely discounts in the interview what he sees as the lies regarding Murat Altun's alleged depressed state. I'll throw this out there from the summary at the beginning of the article:

Mgr Franceschini hypothesizes that the assassination was planned with precision, the killer for well trained, and the authors aim to destabilize the country and distance Turkey from Europe.

That would seem to go with what I have read about Murat Altun's alleged involvement with the organization known as the "deep state". Al Jazeera has a timeline.

The Holy Father in Cyprus

UPDATE (10:01): Father Z posted on this story as well this morning and has this quote from a news article from EWTN/CNA:

Analyst Fr. Fillippo di Giacomo, who writes for publications such as L’Unitá and La Stampa, revealed that “hours before Padovese was killed, the Turkish Government called him to say that his driver, who they themselves had put in his service four years before, had gotten out of hand. That is to say, he had embraced the fundamentalist cause.”

Because of this, Padovese canceled his trip to prevent his driver from having access to the Holy Father. Also be sure to read the comments on Father Z's post for info on the expulsion of Christian missionaries from Morocco.

Original post:

From Asia News is this summary and following story from the day before yesterday on the brutal murder that occurred just before the Holy Father's trip to Cyprus.

The summary:

The bishop was stabbed in the house and beheaded outside. He cried help before he died. The murderer shouted "Allah Akbar!". The alleged insanity of the murderer is now to be excluded. There is no medical certificate to prove it. Murat Altun accuses the dead bishop of being a homosexual. Turkish minister of justice condemns the murder and promises to shed light on the incident.

The concluding paragraph of the story with my bolding:

But according to experts of the Turkish world, the killing of Mgr. Padovese shows an evolution of organizations of the "Deep State" being the first time they aim so high. So far they had targeted ordinary priests, but now they have attacked the head of the Turkish Church (Mgr Padovese was president of the Episcopal Conference of Turkey). At the same time, their actions are becoming more sophisticated, less crude than before. There not only limit their defence to claims of “insanity”, already used for the murder of Father Santoro [covered here in 2006], but offer more explanation to confuse public opinion nationally and internationally.

Just as the developing story of Murat Altun's murder of the bishop gained steam, the Pope traveled to Cyprus and Sandro Magister has his usual report on the journey and its results. After recounting the ecumenical nature of Benedict's visit to the island, Magister recounts this meeting between the Pope and a Muslim which I give here in full:

On Saturday, June 5, on his way to the Mass at the Catholic church of the Holy Cross in Nicosia – right on the border of the part of the island occupied by the Turks – Benedict XVI came across an elderly Sufi sheikh, Mohammed Nazim Abil Al-Haqqani. They greeted one another, and promised to pray for each other. They exchanged little gifts: Muslim prayer beads, a plaque with words of peace in Arabic, a pontifical medallion.

So instead of the expected meeting with the mufti of Cyprus, Yusuf Suicmez, the highest Muslim authority on the island, there was the encounter of the pope with a Sufi master, an exponent of a mystical form of Islam, a form of Islam that "presumably through Christian influence stresses the love of God for man and of man for God," instead of an inaccessible God "among whose 99 names that of Father is missing."

The words just quoted are from Bishop Luigi Padovese, apostolic vicar for Anatolia and president of the Catholic episcopal conference of Turkey, killed in Iskenderun on June 3, the eve of the pope's trip to Cyprus, in which he was supposed to have participated.

Magister then goes on to condemn the official Vatican response Padovese's murder, which he characterizes as "submissive and counterproductive".

Despite this, Benedict addressed the situation in Cyprus with two steps, decrying the situation of the division of Cyprus and the forcing out of Christians from the Turk occupied areas, and calling upon Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics, because "for them, and for the great Islamic and Christian philosophers who followed in their footsteps, the practice of virtue consisted in acting in accordance with right reason, in the pursuit of all that is true, good and beautiful," starting with that "natural law proper to our common humanity."

Before departing for Rome, the Pope offered these words while visiting a church dedicated to the Cross:

[It] offers them hope that God can transform their suffering into joy, their death into life. [...] And if, in accordance with what we have deserved, we should have some share in Christ’s sufferings, let us rejoice because we will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed.

Bertone on Turkey

Sandro Magister has extracts from an interview given by Cardinal Bertone to a French Catholic magazine.

Bertone prefaces his remarks by saying that the Catholic Church does not have any “particular power to favor Turkey’s entry into Europe or to veto it.” But he immediately adds that “without Turkey, Europe would no longer benefit from that bridge between East and West that Turkey has always been throughout history.”

How he belittles the Church's influence. A cunning ploy. As for the 'bridge' remark, I made that same point awhile ago. I must have a fan.

Having been archbishop of Genoa until last summer, the Vatican secretary of state recalls that “Turkey has long been one of Europe’s partners. For example, the Republic of Genoa maintained good relations with the Turks, and it was in order to trade with them that England obtained the flag of Saint George from the Genoese, with the aim of passing within the Ottoman gates.”

Is this before or after Lepanto and Vienna? Did the archbishop just admit his city was trading with the enemy while Christendom was engaged in a life and death struggle against territorial ambitions of the Turkish Empire? (A joke...)

As for today’s Turkey, the cardinal emphasizes that the country “has a distinctly secular system and a regime that tends toward greater democracy. It is in Europe’s interest to help the country to become a true democracy, to consolidate a system of values more and more. Leaving Turkey outside of Europe risks, furthermore, favoring Islamist fundamentalism within the country.”

'Distinctly' and 'tends toward greater'... Such qualifies and fine distinctions... The comment about Islamic fundamentalism is valid to a point. However, I would submit that as a country becomes more and more Westernized, that is when the Islamists truly come to the fore. Look at Iran and the Shah, the Saudis and their oil wealth, etc. Be careful what you wish for, Your Eminence.

About the concrete forms of Turkey’s membership, Bertone hypothesizes that “integration within Europe could be realized in concentric circles, with an inner circle of the historically European countries currently united within the euro zone, and a second level for those that are more distant from this.”

Perhaps. The last thing Europe needs is letting in countries that may or may not be even technically in Europe geographically. The continent is having a hard enough time keeping its own economy going.

In the same interview, cardinal Bertone also touches upon relations between Christianity and Islam after Benedict XVI’s lecture at the University of Regensburg:

“The clarifications made by the pope brought an understanding of his clear intention to develop, beginning with his address in Regensburg, a debate on faith and reason. This had nothing at all to do with a polemic with Muslims, whom he did not stigmatize. Besides, a short time later there were Muslin intellectuals and leaders who understood this well. The Church’s role in interreligious dialogue is well known beyond the confines of the Church itself. [...] For some observers, after the pope’s trip to Turkey 'polemics about Regensburg are now ancient history.'”

Which is good.

Regarding the Turkish EU bid, this is what I said before:

However! Just because a modern nation-state can claim to be a part of the European historical tapestry, it should not be entitled to automatic inclusion into what is not a cultural organization. The European Union is (aside from behing a huge bureaucratic mess) a political and economic supra-national organization with various delegated powers. Its purpose is not cultural exchange or preserving European culture. If Turkey is going to be admitted into the European Union, it should be admitted according to present-day criteria (rule of law, personal liberty, etc.).

I don't even want to read the rest of this

John Allen, whose reporting I've been unimpressed with lately, has the lead story for National Catholic Reporter. After starting off with the usual 'this Pope makes us wait' fluff, Allen sinks his teeth into what he sees as the big moment of Benedict's trip to Turkey (bolding mine):

In Turkey, however, the biggest splash came on Day 1, roughly a half-hour after the pope landed at the Ankara airport. In a closed-door meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had been among the most outspoken critics of Benedict XVI after the Regensburg speech, the pope indicated that he now smiles upon Turkey’s candidacy to join the European Union.

In reality, Erdogan probably engaged in a bit of spin with regard to the pope’s comments. It was Erdogan who told the press that the pope had endorsed Turkey’s EU bid, while the Vatican later clarified that the pope had not taken a political position for or against admission, but instead merely affirmed the country’s efforts at “dialogue and drawing close” to Europe.

Nevertheless, the bottom line is that Benedict XVI effectively disavowed his earlier position, expressed while still a cardinal, that Turkey is “in permanent contrast to Europe,” and that admitting it to the EU would further muddy the Christian roots of the continent.

Anyone familiar with even a smidgen of papal history knows that popes don’t often reverse field in quite so clear a fashion, [this is where I stopped reading] and the fact that Benedict did so right out of the gate crystallized the basic spirit of this Nov. 28-Dec. 1 trip, Benedict’s fifth as pope and his first to a majority Muslim state: No effort was spared to convince the Muslim world that “the pope of Regensburg,” depicted variously by Muslim critics as a neo-crusader and as the chaplain to the U.S.-led war in Iraq, is actually a friend.

I don't know if John Allen goes on to make some kind of point in his article and at this moment, I just don't really care.

I read an article someplace either yesterday or the day before about the Pope's language when he referenced the Armenian Genocide while visiting the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople. Benedict didn't directly name the Genocide, but instead went with something like 'tragedy' (I forget now what words he used exactly). Some might call that being wishy-washy and wanting to be the friend of the Turks, but as the article pointed it, it was due to the fact that the Armenian Patriarchate contacted Rome before the visit to ask that Benedict not mention it. Since all those Armenians would have to deal with the Turkish backlash after the Pope went home if he had mentioned it directly.

Commentators out there can go on and on regarding Benedict XVI's actions during the trip and how he betrayed this or that position or he totally reversed himself, et cetera, et cetera. But moderation in what one says while being a stranger in a strange land =/= outright reversal of positions. Let's give Benedict some credit for showing some charity and humility while visiting a foreign land.

In conclusion

The Holy Father has flown home after presiding over Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul. Tomorrow evening is Vespers and the start of Advent, so Benedict won't get much of a break right away.

Vatican watchers, church commentators and everyone else though will have time to sit down and ponder what it all means as far as the trip to Turkey and its effect on Christian-Muslim and Catholic-Orthodox relations.

1. Christians and Muslims
When discussing the brief 'recollection' in the Blue Mosque and the cordial relations between the Pope and the Mufti, it's easy to forget that the Mufti was one of the sigers of the open leader to Benedict addressing the (in)famous lecture. The Mufti is one of the men who took the time to assess what the Pope was driving at and engage him on his own tersm. When looking at their meeting in the Blue Mosque, that kind of respect is something to keep in mind.

It's what they who don't especially like Benedict are going to do next that is important. Will Turkey get the message and allow more freedom of religion? Only time will tell. As Benedict in his writings has noted over and over again, dialogue is only worthwhile if there are concrete results. Otherwise it's just a lot of empty gestures.

2. Catholics and Orthodox
There are a lot more opportunities here for actual progress, but the stakes are also higher. If Christians and Muslims misstep, well... Sad, but not unexpected. On the other hand, the efforts of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches mean so much to the internal unity of the Body of Christ on Earth. Missteps here last for centuries and remain engraved in the collective memory of both churches.

Reading the outline at Patriarchate.org, it's clear that the meetings and discussions have reached the critical point: the primacy of the Pope. Bolding is mine.

1990 -- Work began by the Joint Coordinating Committee on the next common document in Moscow, Russia, “Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church”, but at the request of the Orthodox Church the discussions were stopped in order to address the question of “Uniatism”.

1993 – The Joint Commission issued the common document on “Uniatism: Method of Union of the Past, and Present. Search for Full Communion” (Balamand, Lebanon)

2000 – The Joint Commission met in Baltimore, U.S.A., and discussed a text on “ The Ecclesiological and Canonical Implications of Uniatism”.

2005 - The Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church agree to resume the theological dialogue.

2006 – The Joint Commission met in Belgrade, Serbia and discussed a text entitled: ”The Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church: Conciliarity and Authority in the Church”, at three levels of the Church’s life: local, regional and universal.

Only time will tell what the next entry to such an outline will look like. Let us pray it is a positive one.

Homily at Ephesus

Mass before the Shrine of Meryem Ana Evi
Homily of the Holy Father, Ephesus, Wed. 29 Nov. 2006

Here are some passages that stood out with salient points bolded by me.

A privileged witness to that event was the author of the Fourth Gospel, John, the only one of the Apostles to remain at Golgotha with the Mother of Jesus and the other women. Mary’s motherhood, which began with her fiat in Nazareth, is fulfilled at the foot of the Cross. Although it is true – as Saint Anselm says – that “from the moment of her fiat Mary began to carry all of us in her womb”, the maternal vocation and mission of the Virgin towards those who believe in Christ actually began when Jesus said to her: “Woman, behold your son!” (Jn 19:26). Looking down from the Cross at his Mother and the beloved disciple by her side, the dying Christ recognized the firstfruits of the family which he had come to form in the world, the beginning of the Church and the new humanity. For this reason, he addressed Mary as “Woman”, not as “Mother”, the term which he was to use in entrusting her to his disciple: “Behold your Mother!” (Jn 19:27). The Son of God thus fulfilled his mission: born of the Virgin in order to share our human condition in everything but sin, at his return to the Father he left behind in the world the sacrament of the unity of the human race (cf. Lumen Gentium, 1): the family “brought into unity from the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Saint Cyprian, De Orat. Dom., 23: PL 4, 536), at whose heart is this new bond between the Mother and the disciple. Mary’s divine motherhood and her ecclesial motherhood are thus inseparably united.
[...]

[...] The text also contains the expression that I have chosen as the motto for my Apostolic Journey: “He, Christ, is our peace” (Eph 2:14). Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul tells us that Jesus Christ has not only brought us peace, but that he is our peace. And he justifies this statement by referring to the mystery of the Cross: by shedding “his blood”, by offering in sacrifice “his flesh”, Jesus destroyed hostility “in himself” and created “in himself one new man in place of the two” (Eph 2:14-16). The Apostle explains how, in a truly unforeseen way, messianic peace has now come about in Christ’s own person and his saving mystery. He explains it by writing, during his imprisonment, to the Christian community which lived here, in Ephesus: “to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph 1:1), as he says in the salutation of the Letter. The Apostle wishes them “grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:2). Grace is the power that transforms man and the world; peace is the mature fruit of this transformation. Christ is grace; Christ is peace. Paul knows that he has been sent to proclaim a “mystery”, a divine plan that only in the fullness of time has been carried out and revealed in Christ: namely, that “the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (Eph 3:6). This mystery is accomplished, in salvation history, in the Church, the new People in which, now that the old dividing wall has been broken down, Jews and pagans find themselves united. [...]

[...] Strengthened by God’s word, from here in Ephesus, a city blessed by the presence of Mary Most Holy – who we know is loved and venerated also by Muslims – let us lift up to the Lord a special prayer for peace between peoples. From this edge of the Anatolian peninsula, a natural bridge between continents, let us implore peace and reconciliation, above all for those dwelling in the Land called “Holy” and considered as such by Christians, Jews and Muslims alike: it is the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, destined to be the home of a people that would become a blessing for all the nations (cf. Gen 12:1-3). [...]

With firm trust let us sing, together with Mary, a magnificat of praise and thanksgiving to God who has looked with favour upon the lowliness of his servant (cf. Lk 1:48). Let us sing joyfully, even when we are tested by difficulties and dangers, as we have learned from the fine witness given by the Roman priest Don Andrea Santoro, whom I am pleased to recall in this celebration. Mary teaches us that the source of our joy and our one sure support is Christ, and she repeats his words: “Do not be afraid” (Mk 6:50), “I am with you” (Mt 28:20). Mary, Mother of the Church, accompany us always on our way! Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us! Aziz Meryem Mesih’in Annesi bizim için Dua et. Amen.

Turkish EU bid

There has been quite a bit floating around out there after it was announced by the Turkish prime minister that the Vatican would support Turkey's bid to enter the European Union. As Amy has pointed out here and as I mentioned the other day, the actual statement by the Pope is not quite as black and white.

The Holy See wants to to see reciprocity. European countries accept the right of Muslims to practice their religion, so Muslim countries should return the favor. The clarification of the Turkish PM's comments shows clearly that this is the message: accept the EU's conditions regarding religious freedom, the rule of law, etc. and the Vatican will not oppose Turkish aspirations.

But many are saying, "Turkey doesn't belong!"

Leaving aside present-day considerations, the historical Ottoman Empire was not exactly a purely Middle-Eastern entity. Bosnia, just across the Adriatic from Italy, has quite a few Muslims precisely because the Ottomans ruled there for quite awhile before 19th century nationalism began to weaken their rule on Southeast Europe. As the principal successor state to the Ottoman Empire, Turkey's heritage is a European one, whether Europe likes it or not.

However! Just because a modern nation-state can claim to be a part of the European historical tapestry, it should not be entitled to automatic inclusion into what is not a cultural organization. The European Union is (aside from behing a huge bureaucratic mess) a political and economic supra-national organization with various delegated powers. Its purpose is not cultural exchange or preserving European culture. If Turkey is going to be admitted into the European Union, it should be admitted according to present-day criteria (rule of law, personal liberty, etc.).

Vatican Watcher's formal position is that the European Union should be disbanded in favor of several multi-lateral treaties on trade, immigration, joint defense, the environment and law enforcement. Yes, this position makes Turkey's admission a moot point.

An important reminder

Rorate-Caeli has a post on the various Turkish efforts at removing non-Turks from their homeland.

Tuesday's addresses in Turkey

Magister has a summary of Benedict XVI's addresses.

Meeting with the President of the Religious Affairs Directorate
Address by the Holy Father, Ankara, Tues. 28 Nov. 2006

Above all, we can offer a credible response to the question which emerges clearly from today’s society, even if it is often brushed aside, the question about the meaning and purpose of life, for each individual and for humanity as a whole. We are called to work together, so as to help society to open itself to the transcendent, giving Almighty God his rightful place. The best way forward is via authentic dialogue between Christians and Muslims, based on truth and inspired by a sincere wish to know one another better, respecting differences and recognizing what we have in common. This will lead to an authentic respect for the responsible choices that each person makes, especially those pertaining to fundamental values and to personal religious convictions.

As an illustration of the fraternal respect with which Christians and Muslims can work together, I would like to quote some words addressed by Pope Gregory VII in 1076 to a Muslim prince in North Africa who had acted with great benevolence towards the Christians under his jurisdiction. Pope Gregory spoke of the particular charity that Christians and Muslims owe to one another “because we believe in one God, albeit in a different manner, and because we praise him and worship him every day as the Creator and Ruler of the world.”

Freedom of religion, institutionally guaranteed and effectively respected in practice, both for individuals and communities, constitutes for all believers the necessary condition for their loyal contribution to the building up of society, in an attitude of authentic service, especially towards the most vulnerable and the very poor.

Meeting with the Diplomatic Corps to the Republic of Turkey
Address of the Holy Father, Ankara, Tues. 28 Nov. 2006

Turkey has always served as a bridge between East and West, between Asia and Europe, and as a crossroads of cultures and religions. During the last century, she acquired the means to become a great modern State, notably by the choice of a secular regime, with a clear distinction between civil society and religion, each of which was to be autonomous in its proper domain while respecting the sphere of the other. The fact that the majority of the population of this country is Muslim is a significant element in the life of society, which the State cannot fail to take into account, yet the Turkish Constitution recognizes every citizen’s right to freedom of worship and freedom of conscience. The civil authorities of every democratic country are duty bound to guarantee the effective freedom of all believers and to permit them to organize freely the life of their religious communities. Naturally it is my hope that believers, whichever religious community they belong to, will continue to benefit from these rights, since I am certain that religious liberty is a fundamental expression of human liberty and that the active presence of religions in society is a source of progress and enrichment for all. This assumes, of course, that religions do not seek to exercise direct political power, as that is not their province, and it also assumes that they utterly refuse to sanction recourse to violence as a legitimate expression of religion. In this regard, I appreciate the work of the Catholic community in Turkey, small in number but deeply committed to contributing all it can to the country’s development, notably by educating the young, and by building peace and harmony among all citizens.

This morning

I got up too late to see anything live as far as the arrival. Other stuff going on this morning will take place while I am out at my regular morning activity. :(

As it's been widely reported, the Prime Minister of Turkey found time in his busy schedule to welcome the Pope. According to the BBC, they met for about 20 minutes.

On to Constantinople

I once read that in Greece, road signs leading to Turkey name the city Constantinople 500 years after its fall to the Turks.

I was going to come up with a huge summary post, but all the material out there floating around was rather daunting. Various other sites out there have done a great job. Down the left under the 'Daily Readings' heading are blogs that have and will have lots of info. Amy's post is invaluable for details on what the Pope will be doing in Turkey over the next few days.

So yeah, note to self: don't take the week off right before the Pope takes off to Turkey. :)

Random thoughts
It's a certainty the mainstream media will be fixated on the Christian/Muslim aspect of the trip. CNN and Anderson Cooper have already aired a 'When Cultures Collide' thing that I didn't bother watching.

Despite the statement from the other day from the Vatican regarding Turkey's membership in the EU, the way I read it, there is plenty of wiggle room there as far as what the intent was. 'We hope you do everything you need to to get in'... Like accept religious freedom for Christians, etc. etc. 'But if you don't'...

Back to the real reason for the trip, the visit from the Pope can only strengthen the Patriarch. It's funny though. Back 150 years go, Europe went to war in the Crimea over the Holy Land with the Ottoman Empire as the fulcrum. Here we are a century and a half later with Turkey pursuing admission into the EU. The Orthodox of that country continue to be squeezed while Russia looks elsewhere. It is the Church of Rome that's stepping up in fraternal friendship with its brother Church.

The emptiness

The dark alley of the Turkish Soul

A visitor walks through an alley at the sixth century Byzantinian monument of St Sophia in the old city of Istanbul November 16, 2006. The place was once a church in the Byzantinian era that turned into a mosque during the Ottoman empire and now is now a museum. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas (TURKEY)

The enigmatic Spengler of Asia Times Online revisits the novel Snow by Orhan Pamuk. The title of Spengler's essay is 'The fallen bridge over the Bosporus' and it is an apt one. He writes:

Not since Boris Pasternak refused the Nobel Prize for literature in 1958 has a Nobel laureate regarded the award with such mixed feelings as Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk. He set out to be a political dilettante, as befits a postmodern European novelist, and to his profound consternation has had to become a man of principle. That in no way diminishes the poignancy of Pamuk's position, but it makes him more interesting than the average martyr, in a postmodern sort of way.
[...]

During a June 2004 visit to Turkey, US President George W Bush offered:

The Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk has said that the finest view of Istanbul is not from the shores of Europe, or from the shores of Asia, but from a bridge that unites them, and lets you see both. His work has been a bridge between cultures, and so is the Republic of Turkey. The people of this land understand, as that great writer has observed, that "what is important is not [a] clash of parties, civilizations, cultures, East and West". What is important, he says, is to realize "that other people in other continents and civilizations" are "exactly like you".

The bridge has fallen, leaving Pamuk gasping for breath on the Western shore. Turkey's Western loyalties were founded upon a secular nationalism that sought to bury Islam under modernizing reforms. Pamuk's theme in Snow is the horrible emptiness of secular Turkey, with its poverty, inertia, bureaucratic sclerosis and official brutality. Thoroughly secular in upbringing and outlook, Pamuk nonetheless evinces profound sympathy for the Islamic loyalties of the Turkish poor, as well as the terrible attraction that political Islam holds for Turkey's disappointed elite.

From where will the light come?

Nothing to fear

AKI: TURKEY: POPE HAS NOTHING TO FEAR DURING VISIT, SAYS TOP ISLAMIC OFFICIAL
Bolding in red is mine.

Turin, 15 Nov. (AKI) - Turkey's top Muslim official who recently demanded an apology from Pope Benedict XVI for remarks the head of the Catholic Church made on Islam, believes the pontiff's safety won't be at risk during the papal visit to Turkey which begins on 28 November. "We are a democratic state and there's freedom: that's why some people don't approve of this visit and they say so. But this won't detract from our traditional hospitality," said Ali Bardakoglu head of the state department for religious affairs, the Diyanet (Mercy).

"This trip [the pope's to Turkey] won't resolve all the problems but it is a good step on the path to dialogue. Peace can be destroyed in an istant [sic] but it takes a long process to rebuild it," Bardakoglu was quoted as saying in an interview published Wednesday in the Turin-based daily La Stampa.

The Turkish cleric was among Benedict's most vocal critics after the pope on 12 September in a speech at a university in Regensburg, Germany appeared to suggest that the Islamic belief in jihad or holy war ran against the will of God and that Islam is at odds with the concept of rationality.
[...]

Asked if he would again ask for Benedict's apology [since B16 never gave one], Bardakoglu replied: "I don't waste time speaking about the past. It's not important whether the person who says something unacceptable on Islam is a layman, a religious figure or an important person - it is one's duty to correct him."

In the interview, Bardakoglu - who will be meeting Benedict XVI in Ankara - denied that Islam is irrational and described the meaning of jihad as "mainly an individual internal struggle agains the evil tendencies of human nature."

On Tuesday the Vatican's ambassador to Turkey, Apostolic Nuncio, Antonio Lucibello, said "we trust the sincerity of Turkish authorities," after meeting Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas.
[...]

On 2 November, a Turkish man fired a gun against the Italian consulate in Istanbul chanting slogans against Benedict and threatening to shoot him during the papal visit to Turkey. Police said they believed the 26-year-old man who was later arrested acted alone.
[...]

It's just this kind of thing that leaves me leery. I don't really expect anything to happen to Benedict while he's in Turkey. There will be too much security for that and the government would never allow an assassination to jeopardize its status with the EU. But it's just this kind of language that I've pointed out that illustrates why Turkey shouldn't be included. Michael Crichton wrote of the Japanese that their thinking was 'fundamentally different'. And note, he was writing of a society that is thoroughly modern and thoroughly Westernized. While proclaiming its secularity and Westernism, Turkey is busy preventing the Orthodox from training priests, suppressing any mention of the Armenian genocide and forcibly dealing with Kurdish autonomy aspirations. The Turks are going to eventually suffer the consequences and realize that they can't keep one foot in Asia and the other in Europe and play both sides without losing.

Places to go, people to see in Turkey

From Zenit:

Tuesday, November 28th
The Pope will leave from Rome's Fiumicino airport at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28. He will arrive at the Esenboga airport at Ankara, the Turkish capital, at 1 p.m., local time.

The Holy Father will first visit the Mausoleum of Ataturk, "Father of the Turks," who proclaimed the Turkish republic in 1923.

Subsequently, the welcome ceremony will take place as well as a courtesy visit to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

The Pontiff will then meet with the deputy prime minister before meeting with the president of religious affairs, Ali Bardokoglu, Grand Mufti and highest Muslim authority, at his headquarters, and with the diplomatic corps in the Apostolic Nunciature. The Holy Father will deliver addresses to each.

Wednesday, November 29th
The following day, Benedict XVI will travel to Smyrna, the country's third-largest city, known as "The Pearl of the Aegean," from where he will go to Ephesus, the city where the Apostle Paul lived and was captive, and where, according to tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist also lived.

In Ephesus, Benedict XVI will celebrate Mass at the Meryem Ana Evi (House of Mary) Shrine and deliver a homily. It was in this city that a Council in the year 431 proclaimed the Virgin Mary "Theotokos," of Mother of God.

On that Wednesday afternoon, the Holy Father will fly from Smyrna to Istanbul -- formerly Constantinople -- where he will visit and pray at the Patriarchal Church of St. George and have a private meeting with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. The Pope will greet him at the patriarchate's headquarters.

Thursday, November 30th
On Thursday morning, Nov. 30, Benedict XVI will take part in the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul. He will deliver an address and sign a joint declaration.

The Pontiff will thus fulfill the original objective of his trip: to respond to the invitation of Patriarch Bartholomew I to take part on the feast of St. Andrew, patron of the patriarchate, observed on Nov. 30.

After the ceremony, the Holy Father will lunch with Bartholomew I in the patriarchate. In the afternoon, he will visit the St. Sophia Museum.

Then Benedict XVI will go to the Armenian Apostolic cathedral, where he will pray and meet and greet Patriarch Mesrob I.

That same afternoon, the Pope will meet with the Syro-Orthodox metropolitan and the chief rabbi of Turkey.

Finally the Holy Father will meet and dine with the members of the country's Catholic bishops' conference.

Friday, December 1st
On Friday, Dec. 1, Benedict XVI will preside over the celebration of Mass in Istanbul's Cathedral of the Holy Ghost and deliver a homily.

It will be his last appointment, as he will then go to the city's airport and, after the farewell ceremony, depart at 1:15 p.m. for Rome's Ciampino airport.

News on this Feast of All Saints

Benedict Will Face Touchy Issues During Turkey Visit
- [NCRegister]

Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to Turkey is both a diplomatic minefield and a sea of valuable opportunities.

Analysts say the trip is of major importance for three reasons: for furthering religious freedom in Turkey and other Muslim-majority states, for improving Muslim-Christian relations, and for advancing the cause of Christian unity.

As the Register went to press, the details of the apostolic voyage had yet to be finalized. But according to Asia News and Vatican sources, the Pope is scheduled to arrive in the Turkish capital of Ankara Nov. 28, where he will spend the day with the country’s political authorities.

The following day, the Holy Father will travel to the port city of Izmir near Ephesus where he will visit an ancient Christian community, before moving on to Ephesus itself where he is expected to visit Meryem Ana, a small house on a hilltop overlooking the Aegean Sea where, according to tradition, Mary lived out her final years and was assumed into heaven.

On Nov. 29, Benedict is scheduled to arrive in Istanbul, where he will have a private audience with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, the person who first invited the Pope to Turkey.

On Nov. 30, on the feast of St. Andrew, the Pope will attend a solemn Divine Liturgy presided over by the patriarch. The Holy Father is expected to deliver a discourse on the quest for Christian unity and comment on this year’s resumption of the Commission of Theological Dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Before returning to Rome Dec. 1, the Pope will also meet with Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II, who leads a Christian community that has suffered intermittent persecution for centuries.
[...]

The following is the perfect summation of the internal conflict that goes on on how to deal with Islam.

A number of senior Vatican officials hope Benedict will be able to reach out to Muslims during the trip by conveying the true message of his Regensburg speech, which sparked intense anger in Turkey and other Muslim countries.

Some observers recommended caution in addressing that issue.

“If he refers directly to it, I don’t think it will help because Muslims are not ready to understand it,” said Jesuit Father Samir Khalil Samir, professor of Oriental theology at St. Joseph’s University in Lebanon.

But others insisted that the focus of the Pope’s Regensburg address — the need to reconcile faith and reason — is crucial to furthering Muslim-Christian dialogue and to helping Muslims renounce violent extremism.

“Why do we have to wait to discuss this?” asked Father Justo Lacunza-Balda, rector emeritus of the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies. “For years, we have not confronted these issues; we have to begin somewhere.”

Father Justo Lacunza-Balda sums it up perfectly. We're going to be waiting forever for the 'perfect' opportunity to engage with Islam since it's never going to happen. For instance, the Hoover Institution's Policy Review has this to say in an article on Islamist inmates interviewed in France:

In light of the violence associated with Islamism, it has become common to hear from Western observers that Islam as such needs to pass through its “reformation.” But the emphasis placed by these inmates on their personal and unmediated relation to the text of the Quran suggests, on the contrary, that contemporary Islamism may well be the Islamic equivalent of the Reformation.11 It is worth recalling in this connection that the historical Reformation of Christianity also gave rise both to extreme rigorist currents (Calvinism) and to violent Millenarian sects.

The reformation of Islam has already happened. The questions are two. When will the West figure it out and how will the West engage it?

Following up on this: VATICAN: POPE NOT TO MEET PM ERDOGAN DURING VISIT
- [AKI]

There will be no official meeting between the Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pope Benedict XVI when the pontiff visits Turkey on 28 November-1 December, according to the Turkish embassy in Rome. Erdogan will be attending a NATO summit in Riga, Estonia, "a very important appointment for us," explained embassy staff. In effect the official programme of the papal visit released by the prime minsiter's office made no mention of an encounter between the head of the Roman Catholic Church and the leaders of the Islamist-based Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The Pope will however meet the president, Necdet Sezer, and the head of the religious affairs directorate, Ali' Bardakoglu, the grand mufti of Turkey.

Following up on this: Campbell reveals Pope’s plan
- [Newry Democrat]

Francis Campbell, who was brought up in Rathfriland and attended St Colman's College in Newry, told the Irish News that a planned visit by Pope Benedict XVI is already in motion.

"A programme for a visit has already been brought together," said Mr Campbell. "Now it is really a matter for the Vatican and the Pope's dairy." A delegation of Irish bishops returned home from Rome on Sunday after a two-week stay and it is has been reported that they met with Mr Campbell and discussed the possibility of the visit coinciding with a visit by the Queen.

New archpriest for Vatican basilica
- [CWN]

Archbishop Angelo Comastri, the vicar general of the Vatican city-state, has been named by Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) to be archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica. He replaced Cardinal Francesco Marchisano, who has resigned at the age of 77.

Archbishop Comastri, a 63-year-old native of Tuscany, was ordained to the priesthood in 1967 and became Bishop of Massa Marittima-Piombino in 1990. In 1996 he was appointed Archbishop of Loretto, and in February 2005 he became vicar general of Vatican City and coadjutor to Cardinal Marchisano.

The Italian archbishop is known for his Marian devotion, and in March 2003 he was chosen by Pope John Paul II (bio - news) to preach the annual Lenten retreat for the Roman Curia, on the theme of Mary, Mother of Christ. In 2005 he was asked by Pope Benedict XVI to write the meditations for the Way of the Cross on Good Friday.

The archbishop was at one point considered one of the top Papabili in the run up to the election of Benedict XVI. Since then his stock has seemingly fallen among Vaticanisti. Yet he continues to collect positions in Rome.

Brouhaha in Turkey

AsiaNews:

Ankara (AsiaNews) – Benedict XVI will be welcomed as a "foreign leader of state” on his arrival in Turkey and not as a religious leader.

Hurriyet, Turkey’s most popular daily, pointed to a “diplomatic crisis” brewing over the upcoming papal visit. The newspaper said the Vatican generally described the Pope's visits as "religious missions," but state officials said that since he has been invited by the President of the Republic of Turkey, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the Pope would be welcomed as a "foreign leader of state."

The newspaper said that “although it was not clear at first whether this would be acceptable to the Vatican, agreement should be reached this week”.

The “diplomatic crisis” hinted at in Turkey does not seem to have any substance in reality. There have already been papal trips where the pope is welcomed as “head of the Vatican” and not as head of the Catholic Church. Moreover, the Holy See has already given official notice of the visit, which has been scheduled from 28 November to 1 December.

Hurriyet said that when he arrives in Turkey, Benedict XVI will be greeted at the airport by top level government officials, and then taken to the Cankaya President Palace to be formally welcomed by the head of state. The newspaper said the Pope will give President Sezer an antique Bible and a book of some of his works and prayers.

Around 1,000 journalists are expected to cover the event.

In covering this, Catholic World News noted that the Turkish government is apparently ignoring the fact that Benedict is visiting because of an invitation from the Patriarch of Constantinople. Aside from whatever is going on in the Turkish collective psyche lately, I don't see how this is all that big of a deal. Turkey is supposed to be 'secular', in fact it is militantly so (given its secular nature is guaranteed by the military). If there were no ulterior motives behind this declaration, then it only makes sense that the Turkish government would receive the Pope as a head of state.

But I'd say it's obvious that there are ulterior motives. The ruling party of Turkey, AKP, controls both the presidency and the prime ministership. Much of its cohesion comes from its bid to join the EU as a full member, a bid that Benedict XVI has in the past opposed. Though the prime minister claims otherwise, a survey cited in the Wiki article showed that a majority of respondants believed that AKP was in fact a party "political party with a religious axis."

The dots are certainly there for any who care to connect them.

Reader response

It has come to my attention via Site Meter and looking at those sites that are referring readers to this blog that there has been some hostility over my comments found here. It is important to remember for those who think that I am just being dramatic and over-generalizing that a book about assassinating the Pope is a bestseller in Turkey even before the Pope's lecture the other day.

As John Allen describes (thanks to Amy for the link):

In a little more than 300 pages, Kaya manages to weave the Turkish Secret Service, the infamous Masonic lodge P2, and (of course) Opus Dei into his plot line. Inevitably, Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turk who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, also makes an appearance.

All this might seem comical were it not for the fact that in the last seven months, three Catholic priests have been attacked in Turkey, beginning with the murder of Italian missionary Fr. Andrea Santoro on February 5. Bishop Luigi Padovese, a 58-year-old Capuchin from Milan who serves as the region's apostolic vicar, and who was Santoro's superior, has warned of a "rising tide" of anti-Christian propaganda in Turkey.

"There's a strong current of religious extremism, and that climate can fuel this sort of hatred. It's passed along in families, in schools, in the newspapers," he said in a February interview with NCR.

And that is just Turkey, the most secularly governed Muslim state in the world.

If anyone would like to contact me and have a reasonable discussion with facts, figures and links to scholarly sources, the comment box is open 24/7.

Monday morning

Benedict XVI in his Sunday Angelus comments apologized for hurting anyone's feelings.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Pastoral Visit which I recently made to Bavaria was a deep spiritual experience, bringing together personal memories linked to places well known to me and pastoral initiatives towards an effective proclamation of the Gospel for today. I thank God for the interior joy which he made possible, and I am also grateful to all those who worked hard for the success of this Pastoral Visit. As is the custom, I will speak more of this during next Wednesday’s General Audience. At this time, I wish also to add that I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims. These in fact were a quotation from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought. Yesterday, the Cardinal Secretary of State published a statement in this regard in which he explained the true meaning of my words. I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect. This is the meaning of the discourse.

The BBC, always unfailing in its efforts to broadcast the Muslim sentiment around the world, reports that the Pope's apology has placated some, but not very many.

Sandro Magister has a piece with a fine summary of events. He concludes with these paragraphs dealing with the trip to Turkey and reason:

One the other hand, there is growing hostility in the Turkish media toward everything that is Western, European, and Christian. Secular opinion is outstripped by opinion with an Islamist imprint, which is increasingly more combative. An extremely mediocre book of political fiction published in Turkey at the end of August and written by a journalist who specializes in intrigues, Yücel Kaya, has had spectacular commercial success. The title says it all: “Attack on the Pope: Who Will Kill Benedict XVI in Istanbul?”

The Turkish chapter is the first one against which the new Vatican foreign minister, Mamberti, must test himself.

As for Benedict XVI, he knows that he hasn’t made his trip to Turkey any easier. But it is the pope’s firm conviction that a visit prepared and carried out only under the shield of reticence, silence, purely ceremonial dialogue, and submission would have done more harm than good – both to the Church and to the Muslim world.

But if everyone takes seriously in hand, and reads from beginning to end, the hymn to reason that he raised in Regensburg... Because at bottom, in the view of Benedict XVI, the heart of the question is always the same one that the emperor of Constantinople and his learned Persian counterpart discussed in 1391: “Not acting according to reason is contrary to the nature of God.”

And finally, al-Qaeda, having nothing better to do with its spare time while not battling it out in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world through its various affiliates in its ongoing jihad against the United States of America and the West in general, has threatened jihad over the Pope's remarks.

The rumor

I have been informed of the possibility that the trip to Turkey in November may be cancelled. According to my friend in Italy, Turkish authorities are suggesting that it would be too dangerous for the Pope to go visit.

EDIT 9/16: The way things are going and from the comments coming out of Turkey, I think this could very well come about. What would be really courageous is for the Pope to go anyway unless the Turks refuse to allow him entry.

More as it becomes available.