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Catholic World News News Feature

Trip's goal is pastoral, not political, Pope says November 28, 2006

Before leaving Rome on his apostolic voyage to Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI told reporters that the purpose of his trip "is not political, but pastoral."

Speaking at Rome's Fiumincino airport, just prior to his flight to Ankara on Tuesday morning, November 28, the Holy Father said that during his visit he would promote "dialogue and the shared commitment to peace."

Acknowledging that the trip would be taking place during "a difficult moment in history," the Pope emphasized that he hoped to advance the cause of mutual understanding across religious and cultural lines. The trip, he said, should assist dialogue "between cultures, between Christianity and Islam, with our Christian brothers, and particularly with the Orthodox Church of Constantinople."

Noting that Turkey has always been seen as a bridge between cultures, the Pope said that he was confident the country's people would be "open and welcoming," and would fully share his desire for peace and understanding. He said that he was setting out on the trip with "great confidence and hope."

Pope Benedict said that his confidence about the trip was based largely on his knowledge that many people were praying for his success. Still he cautioned against unrealistic expectations, saying that the results were likely to be visible only in the long term.

Questioned about Turkey's bid for entry into the European Union, the Pontiff did not answer directly, but reminded the reporters that in establishing the Turkish republic, Kemal Ataturk had used the French constitution as a model. In a sense, then, he observed, it is fair to say that the foundation of modern Turkey reflects a "dialogue between European reason and the Muslim tradition."

Today's Europe, the Pope continued, needs to re-think its approach to secularity in government. In that process, Turkey's experience could provide some useful lessons, perhaps correcting the current European tendency to eliminate religion completely from public life. At the same time, he added, Europe could help Turkey to recognize the importance of "an open, tolerant reason, which has freedom as a fundamental element."

In answer to a question about the importance of his meeting with the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, whose congregation has dwindled to only a few thousand people, the Pope replied that "really, the numbers don't matter." Regardless of its size, he said, the See of Constantinople retains enormous symbolic importance for the Eastern Christians. "It's a point of reference for the Orthodox world," he said, and the relationship between Rome and Constantinople is critically important to the ecumenical cause.

The Pope thanked the reporters who were accompanying him for their work, saying that he recognized the difficulty that journalists regularly face in trying to summarize complex stories and make them understandable. "Your work is of great importance," he assured them. "That is why I repeat again: Thank you."