The Kreuzberg neighbourhood of Berlin is often referred to as "little Istanbul ".
It’s famous for its Turkish Muslim population.Curiously it's also where the Holy See's
representative to Germany, Archbishop Jean Claude Périsset has his residence, so pushing
it a bit one could call this compound a " little Vatican” of sorts.
Also because
it's where Benedict XVI stayed on the first night of the first State Visit to his
homeland . So when it came to choosing a venue for the Pope to meet with Muslim
representatives on the morning of Friday 23rd of September , the location for this
encounter seemed an obvious one.
And so at 9 am sharp the meeting began in
this City of Berlin where minarets and domed roofs have hit the city's sky line .
The atmosphere was cordial and there were 15 representatives of the Muslim Community
in Germany, the largest numerically in Western Europe after France and Britain. And
it was as encounter between theologians, as the Muslim group was led by a Professor
of Islamic theology Mouhanad Khorchide.
Speaking to the Pope , the Professor
pointed to the fact that here in Germany there’s an ongoing process to establish Islamic
Theology as a subject at German Universities. But he also highlighted the Catholic-Muslim
Forum, launched in the Vatican in 2008 which he described as a major platform for
Muslim-Christian dialogue , stressing the love of God and one’s fellows as the central
binding link between Islam and Christianity .
And in his response to Professor
Khorchide, Benedict XVI too highlighted some binding elements between the two faiths
: “It seems to me, the Holy Father said, that there can be fruitful collaboration
between Christians and Muslims. In the process, we help to build a society that differs
in many respects from what we brought with us from the past. As believers, setting
out from our respective convictions, we can offer an important witness in many key
areas of life in society. I am thinking, for example, of the protection of the family
based on marriage, respect for life in every phase of its natural course or the promotion
of greater social justice.”
This meeting with the representatives of the well
established Muslim community, mainly from Turkey, which represents a younger group
than the mainstream German and since 9.11, unlike in the 1960’s and 70’s when integration
went more smoothly, now causes concern for many who fear fundamentalist groups, marked
the last of Benedict XVI’s appointments in Berlin.
A successful beginning
to this four day official visit home for this Pope who seems to have charmed the previously
aggressive media. The” Frankfurter Allgmeine Zeitung”, even went so far as to describe
his keynote address at the Bundestag, the Federal Parliament: the “speech of the century”
. Meanwhile on Friday his journey continues south of Berlin , in Erfurt as he flies
to the Land of Luther.
Form our correspondent in Berlin Veronica ScarsbrickListen: