An Unforgettable Visit

THE PAPAL TRIP to Turkey late last year became something much more than the Holy Father originally intended, but capped a year when Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate assumed one of its defining characteristics, that of a fraternal and frank conversation with contemporary Islam.

When Pope Benedict initially expressed his desire to visit Turkey, the goal was to strengthen ecumenical relations with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (Istanbul), the leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians. The late Holy Father, John Paul II, had hoped that full communion with the Orthodox could be achieved, even during his own pontificate. That was not the case, but relations between Catholics and Orthodox are now at the level where it was simply expected that the new Pope would visit the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Adventurous trip

Almost everything after that was unexpected. Benedict first proposed a purely spiritual visit that would take him to Istanbul and Ephesus (as in Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians) to visit the Christian sites. The Turkish government asked that he also visit the political capital, Ankara, which the Holy Father agreed to do. Then came Benedict’s lecture in Regensburg last September (see our November issue), in response to which thousands of Muslims protested, some of them violently, including burning the Holy Father in effigy.

In an instant, the trip to Turkey became a moment of great historical drama. Christendom’s leader would make his first visit to an Islamic country. Was this a clash of civilizations? Would Benedict announce a new crusade?

It was nothing of the sort. Benedict conducted himself with his customary grace, and his hosts were gracious in receiving him. Which is worth noting, because the Holy Father repeatedly returned to the themes he raised in Regensburg, condemning violence in the name of religion, and insisting upon religious freedom as a fundamental human right to be respected by the state. That is a delicate issue in Turkey, where the officially secular government does not permit full religious liberty to its tiny Christian minority – less than 1 percent of the population.

Change of focus

Indeed, the Islamic dimension of the trip changed the nature of the visit with Bartholomew. Before Regensburg, the focus of the encounter of Pope and Patriarch would have been on ecumenical relations. After Regensburg, the visit became more one of Christian solidarity with Bartholomew, an embattled fellow pastor under great pressure from the Turkish state.

Benedict’s visit helped focus attention to the fact that the Patriarchate of Constantinople is confined to a small area of Istanbul, is not allowed to choose its own leaders freely, is prohibited from having non-Turks work in its international office, is denied the right to own property and operate schools, and is denied recognition of its ecumenical role in Orthodoxy. Given that Turkey is often spoken of as a ‘model’ Muslim-majority state, the fact that it does not permit Christians full religious liberty is a serious concern.

In the light of Turkey’s aspiration to the join the European Union, its treatment of religious minorities is an important issue. During Benedict’s visit, the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, claimed that the Holy Father had declared his support for Turkey’s application to the EU. That was something of an overstatement. In fact, in their joint declaration, Benedict and Bartholomew indicated that EU membership must be conditional on Turkey respecting “the inalienable rights of the human person, especially freedom. In every step toward unification, minorities must be respected, with their cultural traditions and the distinguishing features of their religion”.

Benedict made the point himself rather more forcefully when he met with the director of the religious affairs department, linking religious liberty to the service that both Christianity and Islam can provide to the common good.

“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,” the Holy Father said. “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”.

“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,” Benedict continued.

Fraternal atmosphere

While the many gestures of respect and esteem Benedict showed to his Muslim hosts contributed to the fraternal atmosphere, the Holy Father did not balk at putting the difficult issues front and centre. At Ephesus, he mentioned by name the Italian priest, Father Andrea Santoro, who was murdered by an Islamist terrorist in Trabzon, Turkey, in February 2006. And he spoke of the Christian roots of Europe, not as an obstacle to cooperation with Muslims, but as a bulwark against the secularism that seeks to exclude both Muslims and Christians from public life.

“[We look] not only to those cultures which have been touched only marginally by the Gospel message, but also to long-established European cultures deeply grounded in the Christian tradition,” said the Holy Father at the patriarchal church. “The process of secularization has weakened the hold of that tradition; indeed, it is being called into question, and even rejected. In the face of this reality, we are called, together with all other Christian communities, to renew Europe’s awareness of its Christian roots, traditions and values, giving them new vitality”.

Walking together

The call for a renewed Christian identity should not be seen as a threat, Benedict stressed, except perhaps by those who would deny the Church – both Catholic and Orthodox – the freedom to proclaim the Gospel.

“Your communities walk the humble path of daily companionship with those who do not share our faith, yet profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us adore the one, merciful God,” the Holy Father said at the Catholic cathedral. “You know well that the Church wishes to impose nothing on anyone, and that she merely asks to live in freedom, in order to reveal the One whom she cannot hide, Christ Jesus, who loved us to the end on the Cross and who has given us his Spirit, the living presence of God among us and deep within us”.

The Church does not wish to impose, but asks the freedom to propose. That proposal itself, made in the heart of an Islamic country, in a visit of great cordiality and respect, is an important and necessary step in Catholic-Muslim relations.

Neither Benedict at Regensburg nor Benedict in Turkey was supposed to be principally about Christians and Muslims. But it turned out that way, and the twin trips have defined a central part of Benedict’s papacy.