Source: Turkish Daily News
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=61126
The visit by Pope Benedict XVI has sparked a new debate in Turkey about the rightful limits of religious ecumenism. The Turkish media have been discussing whether a Muslim cleric can revere Christian symbols like the sign of the cross, and whether it is really necessary to be so accommodating in order to establish genuine religious tolerance and dialogue.
The visit by Pope Benedict XVI has sparked a new debate in Turkey about the rightful limits of religious ecumenism. The Turkish media have been discussing whether a Muslim cleric can revere Christian symbols like the sign of the cross, and whether it is really necessary to be so accommodating in order to establish genuine religious tolerance and dialogue.
The pope, of course, made a significant contribution to inter-faith peace with his highly symbolic visit to the Blue Mosque during his stay in Istanbul. Although some nationalist commentators are still suspicious about �his real motive, his kindness is widely appreciated in the Turkish media. Yet the new debate is not on the pope's outreach but on exactly how Muslim religious figures should move in the same direction.
In a way, it was Tempo, the popular Turkish weekly news magazine, which sparked the debate the week before the pope's arrival with its staged cover photo: Pope Benedict was posing with Dr. Ali BardakoÄŸlu, the head of the Religious Affairs Directorate, standing side by side in their respective Catholic and Muslim garments. However, the photo had a twist: The pope was reading a copy of the Koran and the Muslim cleric was holding a cross.