Posted on 11/24/2006 7:30:34 AM PST by presidio9
Sales of a controversial Turkish novel on a conspiracy to kill Pope Benedict XVI are on the rise ahead of the pontiff's historical visit to Turkey beginning next Wednesday - his first to an overwhelmingly Muslim nation. 'The Plot Against The Pope' is a highly speculative potboiler narrating how the conservative Roman Catholic society Opus Dei, a subversive masonic lodge and the CIA collude to make the pontiff's murder a pretext for a US attack against Iran.
Yuvel Kaya's book, which features Benedict XVI in front of a burning cross with a bearded gunman aiming a rocket launcher at him, is on sale at major Turkish bookstores such as D&R, Kabalci, Pandora.
Despite the absence of any promotional campaign - no billboards, posters or pamphlets at bookstores - sales are rapidly picking up, according to Lale Yilmaz from Kabalci, one the country's biggest book stores. However she told Adnkronos International (AKI) exact sales figures could not be released to the public.
"More copies of the book have been bought over the last 10 days than any other time," Zeynep Yaman an employee with Alfa Dagitim, one of the six companies distributing the books, told AKI.
To date some 10,000 copies of the book have been sold, a relatively modest figure by some international standards but for Turkey, "in its category, more than average," Yaman said.
The book, despite it fictional content, adds further unease to Benedcit XVI's visit to Turkey which comes just two months after a speech by the pontiff on Regensburg, Germany angered many in the Muslim world.
On Wednesday police used tear-gas to break up a protest against Benedict XVI by a group of ultra-nationalist Turks in Istanbul's symbolic Hagia Sophia. An ancient Eastern Orthodox Church, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Turks after they conquered Constantinople. In 1935 the building was turned into a museum but remains a focal point of sectarian rivalry in Turkey.
In February a Muslim teenage boy shot dead an Italian Roman Catholic priest in the northern city of Trabzon. The killing which appeared to be religiously motivated took place at the height of worldwide protests by Muslims againt cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed published in European newspapers.
The cover of "The Plot to Kill The Pope"
Butttttt, Islam is a PIECEFUL religion!
Here we see a further example of how Dan Brown's idiotic soccer mom soap opera was dangerous in its own way: Only one of its readers would possibly think to include Opus Dei in an assassination plot.
Unbelievable post. Thanks.
Say a prayer for him today. I am sure that you are aware of this, but the real purpose of Pope Benedict XVI's visit is not an outreach to Islam on the part of the Catholic Church. He is there to confer with Eastern Catholic Patriarch Bartholomew, whose Seat is in Istanbul.
Further clarification: The idea that the Pope was going to Turkey to build bridges with Islam is a construct of the clown car media. He's not visiting a Muslim nation for novelty's sake.
Turkey's existence explains the existence of nuclear wesapons
Opus Dei and the CIA??? Ha ha ha. That's too funny. This Pope will be safe. Fear not.
I bet you had no idea that Opus Dei and the CIA were chock full of Islamofacists.
Looks like the real battle in the world today is between non-violent ideologies (most religions) and violent, hate-filled, murderous killing ideologies (you know which one).
I wish President Bush understood what a moron he looks like every time he tries to pimp Islam as a peaceful loving religion on us.
It is neither peaceful nor loving nor a religion.
It is a death cult of hypocrisy.
The Pope has a free hand to be brutally honest about all subjects, because he is not running for anything. Politicians do not have that luxery.
All the more reason to expose mohamMAD and allah for what they are... Murderous, pedophilliac sons of satan.
And the pope never misses a chance to use that free hand either...as a life long Catholic...I have seen the church become more and more liberal and the anti-war trape is enough to make me feel like I have e-coli every Sunday morning.
Why? It's a work of fiction.
Is Opus Dei above reproach?
Vince Flynn wrote a book in which the bad guy was the POTUS!
Hold on just a second: This Pope is as anti-war as the last one. As a matter of fact, I'd be very comfortable with a Pope who didn't preach seeking every single alternative to war. The mistake that a lot of people make around here, especially non-Catholics, is mistaking adherence to Christ's directive of pasificism with the support of UBL or other terrorists.
We did what needed to be done, and are content to let God sort it out, but I don't believe that Christ would have ever directed us to go kill terrorists, and therefore the Pope shouldn't do it either. He doesn't waste a lot of breath these days saying "I told you not to do it."
Why don't you tell me how little you really know about Opus Dei, and I'll tell you why it's laughable to think that they'd be involved. BTW, I'm a lapsed member.
In any case, my point was really that nobody would even be familiar enough with them to include them in the plot unless they had read the book. And, of course narrow-minded muslims who read it would ignore the fact that it is fiction and in fact believe that it was mostly true. These are the same people who deny the Holocaust, after all.
It's just where I stand today. I have grown up a Catholic and still attend...however I really see where I differ with just about every issue they seem to stand in the public square other than Abortion and God being more involved in people's lives every day.
Example, when I heard the Pope say executing Saddam is wrong and shouldn't be done...is just insane to me. I have to look around once in a while at just who I am standing with and wonder...am I on the right team in God's church here? Because I really do subscribe to the eye for an eye concept.
Knowing what the Vatican turned their heads to in WW2 and what was happening with Jews..I mean there is only so much one can take hearing in the way of excuses and theology.
Don't get me wrong..I will never leave the church..EVER..however..I do not agree with a good 40-50% of what its spokespeople say.
ping
(read the whole thread)
The book in question is FICTION!!
Is it outselling Mein Kamph yet?
Don't go down that road with me buddy. That's a liberal myth perpetuated by those who hate the Catholic Church for other reasons, but see this as one of the best means of discrediting it. It is believed by those who confuse the Pope for a political leader, instead of a spiritual one. Pope Pius XII didn't have an army, and he was situated in the middle of a fascist allied country. His hand was not completely free. Catholicism was savagely perseucted in Germany and Eastern Europe, and in Spain during their own facist experience. That being said, after the war his efforts were widely credited for saving over one million Jews by Holocaust survivors and Isreali diplomats, including Albert Einstein and Golda Meir. You've been misinformed and are barking up the wrong tree with that one.
Is not much of a comeback. I take that to mean you have no idea what you're talking about.
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I suspect this kind of incident will increase over the next week. Pope Benedict is a brave man.
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Exactly right. How many times have we seen this tired old charge made on these threads?
After a while, it's a toss-up as to whether it's annoying or laughable.

a group of ultra-nationalist Turks in Istanbul's symbolic Hagia Sophia.
And, of course Hagia Sophia was chosen for it's symbolic meaning. This greatest of all Eastern Cathedrals was converted into a mosque when Istanbul fell in 1453.
And, of course, they plan on the same sort of redcoration for Saint Peter's at some future date.
It's beautiful. What a shame.
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I'm sure you're right. There are some whose hatred seems to have no bounds.
Religion was persecuted in Spain by the Communists and anarchists, not by the fascists (Franco's party). Incidentally, after the Spanish Civil War, under Franco, Spain took in more Jews than just about any other country. Franco believed that they were the people of Jesus Christ and that therefore they were our people, too, and they deserved protection. And guess who said, "we are all spiritually Semites": Pius XII. This was basically Franco's inspiration.
Well isn't that special? The Muslims should be downright proud about this- a minority of extremists hijacking their religion while they sit back and do NOTHING to counter the perception that Islam is turning into a religion of hate and putrid vile! http://sacredscoop.com
tinfoil hat book jmo
Very nice to see a photo of Hagia Sophia without minarets.
For Christmas you might get these titles to read and read them during the course of 2007:
1. Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic ChurchAnd I would recommend looking into critical articles that sift through the fiction regarding the Vatican, Hitler, and the War. The person Hitler hated most was Pope Pius XII, and Hitler planned to kill all Catholic priests once he was victorious in the war.
2. Triumph by H.W. Crocker
3. Theology and Sanity by Frank Sheed
that wasn't the pope! - that was cardinal Martino. Thank the Lord that Benedict XVI is pope and not Martino.
If so, what else would you put in that category as well as your precious opus dei?
Catholic priests perhaps?
I believe he said it was "too laughable" to put OD as the assassin. Not to "pious/special/important."
But I beleve there are people or entities that are too pious/special/important to be cast as villians. I could start with my mom and end with God.
I imagine you would have your list too.
Not even God?
I think it's slanderous to take real organizations or real persons and imply that they do all sorts of unsavory things they don't really do.
Mind if we write a "work of fiction" that describes you, by name, as a murderer?
The vatican saved hundreds of thousands of Jews, they just weren't vocal about it. They never turned away from anyone. Many were martyred for it, over 800 priests were put to death, over 1200 churches monastaries were raised to the ground.
You should look a little deeper as to what when on at that time, and don't settle for what Catholic haters say. Pope Pius did as much as he could, and that was alot. What's really shamefull is he never got any credit for it, especially in the secular world. The personal attacks he endured must have been heartbreaking, especially when you realize all he did, and how he outsmarted Hitler. Do yourself a favor, and seek out the truth. You'll be glad you did.
Does the Vatican do stupid things? Of course.
When the Pope kissed the Koran and called it a "holy book", I wanted to puke. Obviously he never read it.
Nice hat!
Feel free! As long as it is fiction of course.
That is the point I have been trying to make on this thread.
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