Religions should work for peace and states should respect their freedom, says Pope
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Today in the Vatican Pope Benedict XVI received Muammer Doğan Akdur, Turkey’s new ambassador to the Holy See who presented his Letters of Credence. This gave the Holy Father the opportunity to refer to his trip to Turkey in late November of last year. Not only did the Holy Father praise Turkey for its commitment to peace in the Middle East, especially in the Lebanon, but he took the opportunity to talk about the situation of the Church in Turkey, stressing the Catholic Church's respect for Islam, expressed most notably in his visit to Istanbul’s Blue Mosque. He reiterated that believers from all religions must work for peace, religious freedom must be fully respected, and the Catholic Church in Turkey should be granted legal status so that it can freely operate and engage the authorities in dialogue.
After thanking once more Turkish authorities for their warm welcome, the Pope focused on a cherished idea, namely that “believers from different religions must make every effort to work towards peace, beginning with the rejection of violence, which in the past was often used on religious pretexts, and learning to understand and respect one another. Religions can unite their forces to promote respect for human beings, created in the image of the Almighty, and for the fundamental rights that rule the lives of individuals and societies”.
“Dialogue, which is necessary between religious authorities at all levels, begins in every day life with the mutual esteem and respect believers of every faith have for one another, sharing the same life and working together for the common good.”
For the Pope working on behalf of the common good means helping Turkey’s small Catholic community.
“While enjoying the religious freedom guaranteed to all believers by the Turkish Constitution, the Catholic Church wishes to benefit from a recognised legal statute, and see the start of official dialogue between the Bishops’ Conference and the State authorities in order to resolve any problems that may arise and maintain good relations between both sides. I do not doubt that the government will do everything in its power to progress in this direction”.
After referring to his meetings with local Catholics during his visit to Turkey, the Pope sent “warm” greetings to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the whole Orthodox Church.
Finally, in mentioning “Turkey's specific role” as “a bridge between the continents of Europe and Asia,” the Pope expressed his “appreciation for Turkey's commitment in favour of peace at the heart of the international community,” and particularly “its efforts towards the resumption of negotiations in the Middle East” and its aid in Lebanon “for the reconstruction of a country devastated by war and the furtherance of constructive dialogue between all sides of Lebanese society.”
.png)
