Benedict XVI will travel to Istanbul November 28 to December 1. He will face all the great issues of our time: Christian unity, Islam, modernity.
One of the greatest Muslim mystics, Abu Hafs Umar as-Suhrawardi (1145-1234), wrote in his classic work on Sufi mysticism, "God said to his Prophet, 'Invite people to the cause of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful exhortation, and debate them with the finest of arguments'" (Koran 16:125).
Pope Benedict XVI is preparing to travel from Rome to Istanbul on November 28. No modern papal trip has created more anxiety for the Vatican than this one, not even John Paul II's 1979 visit to a Poland ready to explode against Communist oppression.
But the chief purpose of Benedict's trip – his November 30 meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to advance Catholic-Orthodox unity – has been almost overshadowed by the threat of holding such a meeting in Turkey, a Muslim country torn by a struggle to preserve its Muslim identity at a time when relations between Christians and Muslims are tense, especially since the pope's misunderstood talk in Regensburg on September 12.
A segment of Turkish society favors modernization and cooperation with the West. An even larger segment regards "the West" as an evil force seeking to weaken and exploit the country. It is to a large extent a division between avowed secularists and committed Muslims.
Older advisers around Benedict remember clearly that it was John Paul's visit to Turkey (1979) that first drove Mehmet Ali Agca to publicly declare his hatred of the West. Just before the visit, Agca wrote to an Istanbul newspaper announcing: "Western imperialism has dispatched to Turkey in the guise of a religious leader the Crusade commander John Paul. Unless this untimely and meaningless visit is postponed, I shall certainly shoot the pope." (Two years later, on May 13, 1981, he carried out his threat by shooting the pope in St. Peter's Square.)
Though there may be other young men today who see Benedict in the same light, the leaders of the Turkish government have insisted that Benedict will be in no danger in Istanbul. Even though many of them were irritated by Cardinal Ratzinger's outspoken opposition to Turkey's entrance into the European Union, they have not hesitated to declare he can be protected regardless of what any fanatics may say or try to do. Benedict's safety is clearly important to the Turkish government. An unsuccessful visit would hurt its standing with European governments, while a successful visit could considerably improve its prospects for gaining EU membership.
Answering the Call of a Brother
Resentment against all Western spokesmen is extremely high among Turkey's ultra-patriots and Benedict is seen as one of the most dangerous, particularly because of his September speech in Germany, where he quoted a medieval emperor's condemnation of Mohammed. Though government officials have accepted his apology, there have been angry calls from others demanding the pope's execution because of his demeaning of the Prophet.
Given this context, why is Benedict determined to keep his appointment in Istanbul?
Because Patriarch Bartholomew asked him to come. It is not only that the Patriarch wants to move Catholic-Orthodox unity forward. It is also that he sees Benedict's very presence as helping his beleaguered community in Turkey. He called a news conference in late September to tell the world: "We are awaiting the pope's visit with fraternal love and great anticipation. It will be very important for our country and for Catholic-Orthodox relations." He pointedly added: "The pope always underlines the principles of religious freedom and human rights…. So I think the pope in his sermon here will speak not only in favor of Catholics but in favor of all religious minorities."
Though Christians have been in Turkey since the first century, and created the great Byzantine civilization which lasted for 1,000 years until 1453, today they are a threatened minority. Indeed, since the establishment of a secularized Turkish state in 1923, the Orthodox community has shrunk from about 180,000 to approximately 5,000.
The Holy Father has heard the call of a Christian who wants to restore Church unity and to preserve the presence of Orthodoxy in a land sacred to all Christians because the beginnings of Christianity were to a large extent in Asia Minor. Benedict will underline this reality by visiting Ephesus, where an ecumenical council declared Mary "the Mother of God."
Finding those Willing to Reason
No one can say with certainty whether Turkish extremists will make an attempt on Benedict's life. But Benedict has committed himself. He wishes to go to Turkey to further Catholic-Orthodox unity, to speak on behalf of religious minorities, to dialogue with every Muslim open to dialogue, and to venerate places where the infancy of the Church was passed.
He will find Orthodox who will welcome him, and Catholics as well. But will he find Muslims open to dialogue?
Perhaps. Christianity and Islam have much in common, not least a common reverence for Mary and a belief in ascetic denial as a way for the soul to become pure and approach God. As the 13th-century Muslim mystic, Abu Hafs Umar as-Suhrawardi, wrote, citing the Koran, Muslims are invited to debate about God "with the finest of arguments." This is not so different from what the pope was trying to say at Regensburg: that religious questions of profound importance should be debated with reason, not settled by coercion and violence.
Pope Benedict will go to Turkey to preach the word of God with all the eloquence he can find, first to the tiny Catholic community, then to the small Orthodox community, then to the large Turkish and world Muslim communities, and finally to all men, hoping that some of the words he speaks will fall on good ground and bear good fruit. Our prayers go with him.
