Pope's Speech to President of Turkey's Office of Religious Affairs November 28,
2006 Ankara, Turkey
I am grateful for the opportunity to visit this land, so rich in history and culture,
to admire its natural beauty, to witness for myself the creativity of the Turkish
people, and to appreciate your ancient culture and long history, both civil and religious.
As
soon as I arrived in Turkey, I was graciously received by the President of the Republic
and the Government Representative. In greeting them, I was pleased to express my
profound esteem for all the people of this great country and to pay my respects at
the tomb of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
I now have
the joy of meeting you, the President of the Religious Affairs Directorate. I offer
you my sentiments of respect, in recognition of your great responsibilities, and I
extend my greetings to all the religious leaders of Turkey, especially the Grand Muftis
of Ankara and Istanbul. In your person, Mr President, I greet all the Muslims in
Turkey with particular esteem and affectionate regard.
Your country is very
dear to Christians: many of the earliest Church communities were founded here and
grew to maturity, inspired by the preaching of the Apostles, particularly Saint Paul
and Saint John. The tradition has come down to us that Mary, the Mother of Jesus,
lived at Ephesus, in the home of the Apostle Saint John.
This noble land has
also seen a remarkable flowering of Islamic civilization in the most diverse fields,
including its literature and art, as well as its institutions.
There are
so many Christian and Muslim monuments that bear witness to Turkey’s glorious past.
You rightly take pride in these, preserving them for the admiration of the ever increasing
number of visitors who flock here.
I have set out upon my visit to Turkey
with the same sentiments as those expressed by my predecessor Blessed John XXIII,
when he came here as Archbishop Giuseppe Roncalli, to fulfil the office of Papal Representative
in Istanbul: “I am fond of the Turks, to whom the Lord has sent me … I love the Turks,
I appreciate the natural qualities of these people who have their own place reserved
in the march of civilization” (Journal of a Soul, pp. 228, 233-4).
For my
own part, I also wish to highlight the qualities of the Turkish population. Here
I make my own the words of my immediate predecessor, Pope John Paul II of blessed
memory, who said on the occasion of his visit in 1979: “I wonder if it is not urgent,
precisely today when Christians and Muslims have entered a new period of history,
to recognize and develop the spiritual bonds that unite us, in order to preserve and
promote together, for the benefit of all men, ‘peace, liberty, social justice and
moral values’” (Address to the Catholic Community in Ankara, 28 November 1979).
These
questions have continued to present themselves throughout the intervening years;
indeed, as I indicated at the very beginning of my Pontificate, they impel us to carry
forward our dialogue as a sincere exchange between friends. When I had the joy of
meeting members of Muslim communities last year in Cologne, on the occasion of World
Youth Day, I reiterated the need to approach our interreligious and intercultural
dialogue with optimism and hope. It cannot be reduced to an optional extra: on the
contrary, it is “a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends”
(Address to representatives of some Muslim Communities, Cologne, 20 August 2005).
Christians
and Muslims, following their respective religions, point to the truth of the sacred
character and dignity of the person. This is the basis of our mutual respect and
esteem, this is the basis for cooperation in the service of peace between nations
and peoples, the dearest wish of all believers and all people of good will.
For
more than forty years, the teaching of the Second Vatican Council has inspired and
guided the approach taken by the Holy See and by local Churches throughout the world
to relations with the followers of other religions. Following the Biblical tradition,
the Council teaches that the entire human race shares a common origin and a common
destiny: God, our Creator and the goal of our earthly pilgrimage. Christians and
Muslims belong to the family of those who believe in the one God and who, according
to their respective traditions, trace their ancestry to Abraham (cf. Second Vatican
Council, Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions Nostra
Aetate 1, 3). This human and spiritual unity in our origins and our destiny impels
us to seek a common path as we play our part in the quest for fundamental values so
characteristic of the people of our time. As men and women of religion, we are challenged
by the widespread longing for justice, development, solidarity, freedom, security,
peace, defence of life, protection of the environment and of the resources of the
earth. This is because we too, while respecting the legitimate autonomy of temporal
affairs, have a specific contribution to offer in the search for proper solutions
to these pressing questions.
Above all, we can offer a credible response
to the question which emerges clearly from today’s society, even if it is often brushed
aside, the question about the meaning and purpose of life, for each individual and
for humanity as a whole. We are called to work together, so as to help society to
open itself to the transcendent, giving Almighty God his rightful place. The best
way forward is via authentic dialogue between Christians and Muslims, based on truth
and inspired by a sincere wish to know one another better, respecting differences
and recognizing what we have in common. This will lead to an authentic respect for
the responsible choices that each person makes, especially those pertaining to fundamental
values and to personal religious convictions.
As an illustration of the fraternal
respect with which Christians and Muslims can work together, I would like to quote
some words addressed by Pope Gregory VII in 1076 to a Muslim prince in North Africa
who had acted with great benevolence towards the Christians under his jurisdiction.
Pope Gregory spoke of the particular charity that Christians and Muslims owe to one
another “because we believe in one God, albeit in a different manner, and because
we praise him and worship him every day as the Creator and Ruler of the world.”
Freedom
of religion, institutionally guaranteed and effectively respected in practice, both
for individuals and communities, constitutes for all believers the necessary condition
for their loyal contribution to the building up of society, in an attitude of authentic
service, especially towards the most vulnerable and the poor.
Mr President,
I should like to finish by praising the Almighty and merciful God for this happy occasion
that brings us together in his name. I pray that it may be a sign of our joint commitment
to dialogue between Christians and Muslims, and an encouragement to persevere along
that path, in respect and friendship. May we come to know one another better, strengthening
the bonds of affection between us in our common wish to live together in harmony,
peace and mutual trust. As believers, we draw from our prayer the strength that is
needed to overcome all traces of prejudice and to bear joint witness to our firm faith
in God. May his blessing be ever upon us!