Posted on 12/02/2006 7:10:16 AM PST by theothercheek
When news reports suggested that Pope Benedict XVI had given his blessing to Turkey joining the European Union, The Stiletto was stunned at this apparent 180 - while still Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, he was adamant that admitting Turkey into the EU would be "a grave error... against the tide of history." It turns out that the pontiff has not reconsidered his previous position at all.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan either willfully misinterpreted the pope’s highly nuanced statements on the matter, or heard only what he wanted to hear. According to Erdogan, the pope said: "You know we don’t have a political role, but we wish for Turkey’s entry into the EU." The New York Times reports that rather than confirming Erdogan’s version of the pontiff’s remarks, The Vatican swiftly issued a clarification: "...the Vatican "views positively and encourages the road of dialogue and of moving toward integration of Turkey in Europe on the basis of common values and principles."
On the third day of his papal visit, Benedict XVI "put the brakes on his charm offensive - stressing Europe's "Christian roots" and taking a strong stand on religious freedoms and minority rights," reports wire service Agence France Presse. Furthermore, in a joint declaration with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, he said respect for religious freedom must be a criterion for membership in the EU. The declaration also rejected killing in G-d's name, condemned terrorism and violence in the Holy Land.
So what "tides of history" make Turkey’s entry into the EU problematic? The Associated Press explains. [NOTE: The Stiletto includes a link. The Other Cheek removed the quoted material so as not to run afoul of the FR administrators.].
And then there’s the history of the Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the oldest Christian denominations. Christ’s teachings were introduced to Armenia in the 1st century by the Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus, and Armenia adopted Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD – the first nation to do so. The pope could not explicitly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide while on Turkish soil because to do so is prohibited under Turkey’s Articles 301 and 305 – and he would not have risked triggering a new round of anti-Catholic violence in which other priests could have been murdered. However, mindful that this ancient Christian community was nearly annihilated by the Ottomans, the pontiff would not be inclined to absolve Turkey of its obligation to history by embracing its EU ambitions without any strings attached.
EU members – France, in particular - made it clear that acknowledging the Armenian Genocide is a key component in Turkey’s admission, along with freedom of speech and freedom of worship. Nothing Pope Benedict XVI said contradicts these preconditions – Erdogan’s faulty hearing notwithstanding.
NOTE: The original source includes numerous links to relevant articles and background information. The Other Cheek's HTML skills are too lousy to include them in this post. Sorry for any inconvenience.]
Do the mods have a problem with links?
The Pope was correct in his original quote....
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
Yes. Sometimes The Stiletto quotes reporting from other sources in her commentary - always citing the source (if a newspaper, wire service or magazine) or columnist (if syndicated in more than one place), along with a link to the original source. But the mods seem to think that quoting from another source - even when full attribution is given - is a copyright violation. It's standard journalistic practice - and both Howard Kurtz and James Taranto (to name just a couple) quote extensively from other sources in their writings. But to avoid having my posts pulled - which has happened a few times already - I will just remove any quoted material that is longer than a sentence or two and just refer folks back to the original article on The Stiletto. Hope this appeases the mods.
Thank you for this! I will pass it along to people I know who have a particular interest in the subject.
I don't know how much reserve capital is lying around in FR coffers. I imagine though that a decision to wipe us out through incessant litigation would really really hurt.
But in other news, I am relieved to hear the Pope didn't say what NPR said he said. NPR, like many other liberals, seems to want to portray the Pope as a pretty smart guy who would really be awesome if only he had their sensibilities about relativism,, how to be nice to musliims, things of that kind.
Good to know. Thx!
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