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Catholic World News News Feature

Islam condemns violence, Turkish minister tells Pope November 28, 2006

Turkey's religious-affairs minister told Pope Benedict XVI that Islam condemns "every form of violence and terror," during a meeting on Tuesday afternoon, November 28.

The Holy Father met with the Grand Mufti Ali Bardakoglu, the leading Islamic official in Turkey, after a courtesy call at the resident of President Necdet Sezer. In his response to the religion minister, the Pope said that inter-religious dialogue is not an option but a necessity, required by respect for religious freedom and by the cause of world peace.

Ali Bardakoglu, who had sharply criticized the Pope's speech in Regensburg, insisted that Islam rejects violence, and "we see it as a crime against humanity." The deliberate killing of innocent people, he said, is recognized by Muslims as the gravest of sins.

The Turkish minister went on to decry the growth of "Islamophobia," which he described as a tendency to believe that Islam encourages violence. Apparently referring to the Pope's Regensburg address, he deplored "those accusations and critiques that are not based on any scientific or historic research," in which the Islamic faith is portrayed as an unfriendly toward the rule of reason.

In his own remarks, Pope Benedict said that inter-religious dialogue must be "a sincere exchange between friends," and said that these talks must be pursued with an optimistic attidue. Christians and Muslims, the Pope observed, share a belief in the truth of divine wisdom and the sanctity of human life. These basic principles, he said, form the basis for reciprocal exchanges and practical cooperation. The Pontiff went on to raise the question of religious freedom: a topic that is sensitive to Turkish authorities. The right to worship freely, he said, must be "institutionally guaranteed and effectively respected, for individuals as well as for communities." Religious freedom, he added, is the "necessary condition" under which believers of different faiths can make their contributions to public life.

Pope Benedict concluded his remarks by expressing his esteem for the people, the culture, and the history of Turkey. He remarked that the country had seen "a considerable flowering of Islamic civilization," with the evidence clearly available in Turkish literature, art, and institutions. Invoking the words of Pope John XXIII-- who had won the hearts of the Turkish people during his stay in Istanbul as papal delegate from 1935 to 1944-- he ended his first formal address of the trip by saying, "I love the Turks!"