Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey isn't all about fostering understanding between Christian Europe and the Muslim world. It's also about offering support from the Christian West to the tiny minority of Turkish Christians. It is estimated that Turkey has about 70 million Muslims, making up about 95% of its population, and in the midst of these is a Christian community of about 23,000. The 3,000 of these who consider themselves to be Greek Orthodox are watching closely this week for small signs of Pope Benedict's friendship. In spite of media coverage that puts emphasis on his tense relationship with Muslims, this pope has publicly stated in the past that he believes that it is a mission of his papacy is to mend the centuries-old rift between the eastern and western branches of the Christian Church.
Benedict is specifically there to advocate the traditional vatican doctrine of "reciprocity" : if mosques exist in Christian countries, churches must be allowed to exist in Muslim countries; and - an even more challenging concept for Muslims - in places where Christians are the minority, they must enjoy the same rights and freedoms as Muslim minorities do in predominantly Christian places. To Turkish Christians who have experienced discrimination and various forms of religious oppression for centuries and on into recent decades, the idea of reciprocity is an answer to prayers.
Despite mass Turkish protests against his visit, the Pope continues a series of meetings with religious leaders and pilgrimages to various holy sites. One must wonder at his emotions as he walks the streets of a city that was known as Constantinople, the center of the Christian world for centuries, before Muslim conquest made it Istanbul. He will be paying a visit to the historic 1,500-year-old church, the Hagia Sophia (Church of Wisdom) - a revered Christian site and the largest church in Europe before it was taken at the fall of Constantinople and made into a mosque in the 15th century. It has been a museum since the 1930's, but many Turkish Christians see it as a symbol of the oppression of their faith, noting that religious services within it are forbidden. Many believe that the Pope may offer a prayer at the site, and if he does, it will spark growing anger in the Muslim majority.
Pope Benedict will also be visiting the 17th century Blue Mosque, as did his predecessor Pope John Paul II. This he will do out of respect for the followers of Islam, although he is not expected apologize for his past remarks which many feel imply his belief that Islam is too accepting of violence. Those close to the pontiff believe that he will stand by his convictions, and while trying to treat leaders of the Islamic world with respect will not bend to condone the more oppressive and violence-centered aspects of their faith.
Today, on the first full day of his visit, he spoke of encouraging dialogue between the faiths, in the spirit of fostering understanding. Those who know him best, and those who have studied his career for years, say that Benedict XVI never does anything without fully understanding its consequences; it could be that he wishes to foster dialogue knowing that such dialogue will force the Muslim leaders to confront the more brutal aspects of their ideology.
Although many wait with baited breath for an outbreak of violence during the papal visit to Turkey, the more interesting result of the journey may be the fallout in months to come. As the Islamic world becomes more fundamentalist and sets its eyes on cultural and ultimately political conquest of the West, many in the Christian world may be forced to re-examine their views on their own faith, and make choices in conviction that they never imagined they would need to. It may be that Benedict will serve as a courageous example of one who walks softly, speaks truthfully, and while avoiding confrontation refuses to be intimidated into apologizing for his own perceptions and convictions. It is not only his conduct, but that of the Muslim community in Turkey, that will set the political tone for years to come between the two worlds of Islam and Christianity.
Benedict had a terrible job when he was elected to fill the shoes of John Paul II, in whose giant shadow he and so many others had existed, and who in the next decade will surely be canonized. Catholics the world over felt their hearts go out to the quiet scholar who by all accounts lacked the charisma and social savvy of his friend and predecessor. But the times force men to rise to unpredictable, unimaginable challenges and to display unrecognized strengths; if Pope Benedict continues to impress with his strength of character and bravery in the face of a growing Islamic world menace, he may be in the end the most important pope of all.
(For more on the Pope's visit to Turkey and the stakes for the Christian minority, see Robert Spencer's informative article here.)
