For the German bishops, the matter has become a touchstone in the Church's relationship with Islam. A group of German leaders plans to travel to Tarsus in September. Cardinal Meisner already went to Tarsus more than half a year ago and held a church service there.
Meisner was horrified by the conditions under which Christians must live in the aspiring EU member. In 1920, 20 percent of the Turkish population was Christian. That figure has declined to only 0.1 percent today, and the state and local authorities make life difficult for this small contingent. The largest group consists of roughly 60,000 Armenians in Istanbul, who are barred access to higher government positions simply because the word "Christian" is stamped in their identification cards.
I’m not Catholic, but I am also horrified about the way Catholics and others who label themselves Christians are treated in Turkey. Turkey needs to straighten up its human-rights record in this regard. If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t deserve EU membership. It certainly doesn’t deserve to remain in NATO, either, nor does it deserve one dime of foreign aid from any other country, not even the U.S. Hey, Mr. President. Hey, Congress, are you listening to what I am saying?