>>If the Pope is in Istanbul and facing east, he would figuratively be looking at Samarkand, then beyond to Beijing, then further beyond to Morioka. To face Mecca, he would have to look SSE. Of course, it’s Yahoo! News, so they may have gotten the compass direction wrong.
I checked the map too. But, the common saying is, “facing east to Mecca” so I assumed that the fools from Yahoo News would assume that east always points to Mecca.
In the Holy Scriptures "the Easts," where the wise men honoring Jesus cane from, is Anatolia, which in Greek means "East." And that is what is, in the language of the Engs "Turkey," which mainland is to the east of Istanbul. Facing east would be facing Haran, from whence Abraham departed as Elohim led him to His earthly possession.
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, , , ," (Mt. 2:1 AV).
του δε ιησου γεννηθεντος εν βηθλεεμ της ιουδαιας εν ημεραις ηρωδου του βασιλεως ιδου μαγοι απο ανατολων παρεγενοντο εις ιεροσολυμα (Mt. 2:1 TR)
Turkey is titled Anatolia geographically because it is to the east of Greece, and it is the land over which the Greeks battled Persia for dominance. Apostle Paul also called it "Asia," when the whole land, governed by the Romans, was evangelized for Christ.
And now, the Roman Pope Frances stands in the middle of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) church house, which captured and taken over by the Muslims. In it he cannot even speak aloud personally to the Jehovah of the Bible lest he mortally offend the Mohammedans.
So who seems to be in control here? Is he embarrassed to be in this position? Will not the Muslims tout this to claim to their believers that Christianity is superseded when the Pope acquiesces?
Will this bring . . . peace?