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Supporters of the pro-Islamic Felicity Party wave Turkish and party flags during an anti-pope rally in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Nov. |
Posted on 11/26/2006 11:47:39 PM PST by MadIvan
At least 20,000 Muslim demonstrators waving Turkish flags and chanting staged a defiant rally in Istanbul yesterday to protest against the Pope's arrival tomorrow.
The Pope is set to defy death threats and security fears to visit Ankara, Ephesus and Istanbul on a four-day trip to Turkey intended to bring the Catholic and Orthodox churches closer together.
But many Muslims are still angry at the Pope's address at Regensberg University in September. He quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor who claimed Muslims were "evil and inhumane".
The Turkish Saadet political party, which is not represented in parliament having only polled 1.2 per cent of the vote in the 2002 elections, organised the rally yesterday.
Although Saadet claimed one million people would take to the streets, and laid on 2,000 coaches, the numbers were far smaller. A crowd of mostly young Islamists and Turkish nationalists waved banners against the "sly" Pope and demanded an end to the "Crusader Alliance".
The protest may not have been huge, but there remain perils ahead in a country where al-Qa'eda has struck with devastating effect and passions among the nation's furious Muslim population are running high.
The Pope used his Sunday address at the Vatican to call for calm. "I want to express my sentiments of esteem and sincere friendship," he said. In a nod to the perilous security of the trip, the Pope added: "I invoke the celestial protection of John XXIII, who was the apostolic delegate in Turkey for 10 years and nurtured affection and estimation for that nation. I ask you all to accompany me in prayer that this pilgrimage can bring all the fruits which God desires."
The Vatican announced the Pope would "follow in the footsteps of John Paul II" and visit the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Benedict will be the second Pope to enter a mosque, after John Paul II's visit to Damascus in 2001.
Turkish security forces have been put on high alert for the trip. Cardinal Walter Kaspar, a close friend of the Pope, will be given his own security team after reports that he has become a secondary target.
Another protest from the Grey Wolves, an ultra-nationalist movement, is expected when the Pope reaches Istanbul. Around 40 of the group were expelled from Haghia Sofia last week with tear gas and arrested for their protest. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, played down the security concerns yesterday, saying: "We have had almost daily information on the situation. There is no fear."
However, he admitted that the trip will not win over many Turks. "Maybe they will not fill the streets, as happened in the visit of John Paul II. But we hope they will be watching their televisions and listening to the messages."
The Vatican has also been trying to smooth the political tension with the Turkish government, which is furious the Pope granted a personal visit in Rome to the Greek Cypriot president Tassos Papadopoulos a few weeks ago.
Yesterday, a spokesman for the Vatican insisted that the Catholic Church "is not against Turkey joining the European Union". He added: "The Vatican is not a member of the EU and does not take positions on these political arguments. If Turkey meets the criteria why should it not enter?" Two years ago, before his election as Pope, Joseph Ratzinger said he did not wish Turkey to be admitted.
There was also an aboutturn by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, who had previously chosen to snub the Pope and attend a Nato summit in Riga.
Yesterday Mr Erdogan said that if "their schedules matched", he would briefly meet the Pope at Ankara airport on his way out to Latvia.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
I am trying to remember exactly what but it looked like army style tanks (Vatican style) from a news show I saw that will be escorting the Holy Father.
He won't be traveling light. : )
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Supporters of the pro-Islamic Felicity Party wave Turkish and party flags during an anti-pope rally in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Nov. |
Not close to a quorum.
Some people are just really, really dense.
These people honor a molester, and murderer. Ya Mohamand is the prophet of these NUTS
(PS - *very* happily married to a Turkish-American women)
My God Bring wrath into their caves and holes. Why do they disrespect the Pope. The Pope is the most peaceful human one can come across. Don't the muslums have a brain. They have no wisdom besides oppressing woman and living a primitive, suppressive, ignorant life.
Look at them, looking like they came from the 11th century. How patentice
out of how many million?
Hope you are right. Pray that BXVI has a safe trip. May God protect him.
Memo to Turkey:
Give it a rest.
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