Religious freedom 'essential', Pope tells Turks
Guarantees of religious freedom are essential for a just society, Pope Benedict XVI said today following meetings with the Islamic cleric who oversees Turkey’s religious affairs.
The comments by the pontiff could be reinforced later during his four-day visit to Turkey when the pope meets in Istanbul with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians.
The pope is expected to call for greater rights and protections for Christian minorities in the Muslim world, including the tiny Greek Orthodox community in Turkey.
“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,” the pope said following talks with Ali Bardakoglu, chief of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate.
Benedict has made religious freedom one of the centerpieces of his papacy, and has complained about countries denying full rights to Christians.
Bardakoglu, at a joint appearance with the pope, said that growing “Islamophobia” hurts all Muslims.
“The so-called conviction that the sword is used to expand Islam in the world and growing Islamophobia hurts all Muslims,” he said.
The comment appeared to be a reference to the pope’s remarks in a speech in September that linked violence and the Prophet Muhammad. Those remarks by the pontiff triggered a wave of anger in the Islamic world.
Bardakoglu urged religious leaders to act responsibly and not to use “differences to find new followers for their own religions.”
“Religious leaders should act in accordance with the teachings of all religions, which call for peace without fear or prejudice,” Bardakoglu said.
He said Islam denounces all forms of terrorism, regardless of the identity of its victims.
