October 22, 2006
Dear Friend,
It was wonderful to hear that Pope Benedict XVI will visit Turkey from November 28th to December 1st. The trip is taking place in response to an invitation from Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The Pope will fly from Rome to Ankara, the Turkish capital, on Tuesday, Nov. 28th.
The following day he will visit Smyrna (or Izmir), the country’s third largest city, known as “the pearl of the Aegean,” and Ephesus, the city where St. Paul of Tarsus lived and where he was held captive. Tradition says that St. John the Evangelist lived there, accompanied by the Virgin Mary.
That same day, Benedict XVI will arrive in Istanbul, the former Constantinople, where he will stay until December 1st. In this way, the Pope will fulfill the original objective of his trip: to respond to the invitation of Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew to take part in the feast of St. Andrew, the patriarchate’s patron saint, Nov. 30th.
The Pope has stated that the priorities of his pontificate include the promotion of ecumenical dialogue.
The Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia, Bishop Luigi Padovese, said recently that the papal visit might be an irreplaceable occasion to deliver a clear address on Islamic-Christian relations.
Turkey is a secular, democratic and constitutional republic, whose political system was established in 1923. Of its 70 million inhabitants, 99% are Muslims, the majority Sunnis. Catholics comprise 0.05% of the population. Talk about an opportunity for good will!
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
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