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Turkish Official Compares Pope to Hitler
By SUZAN FRASER, Associated Press Writer
1 hour ago

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's ruling Islamic-rooted party joined a wave of criticism of Pope Benedict XVI on Friday, accusing him of trying to revive the spirit of the Crusades with remarks he made about Islam. A party official said the pontiff would go down in history "in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini" for his words.

The Vatican said the pope did not intend the remarks _ made in Germany on Tuesday during an address at a university _ to be offensive.

The pope quoted from a book recounting a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and a Persian scholar on the truths of Christianity and Islam.

"The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the pope said.

"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached,'" he quoted the emperor as saying. He did not explicitly agree with them nor repudiate them.

Turkey's top Islamic cleric, Religious Affairs Directorate head Ali Bardakoglu, asked Benedict on Thursday to apologize about the remarks and unleashed a string of accusations against Christianity, raising tensions before the pontiff's planned visit to Turkey in November on what would be his first papal pilgrimage in a Muslim country.

Bardakoglu said he was deeply offended and called the remarks "extraordinarily worrying, saddening and unfortunate."

On Thursday, when the pope returned to Italy, Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said, "It certainly wasn't the intention of the pope to carry out a deep examination of jihad (holy war) and on Muslim thought on it, much less to offend the sensibility of Muslim believers."

Lombardi insisted the pontiff respects Islam. Benedict wants to "cultivate an attitude of respect and dialogue toward the other religions and cultures, obviously also toward Islam," Lombardi said.

On Friday, Salih Kapusuz, a deputy leader of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, said Benedict's remarks were either "the result of pitiful ignorance" about Islam and its prophet, or worse, a deliberate distortion of the truths.

"He has a dark mentality that comes from the darkness of the Middle Ages. He is a poor thing that has not benefited from the spirit of reform in the Christian world," Kapusuz blurted out in comments made to the state-owned Anatolia news agency. "It looks like an effort to revive the mentality of the Crusades."

"Benedict, the author of such unfortunate and insolent remarks is going down in history for his words. However ... he is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini," he said.

In Beirut, Lebanon's most senior Shiite Muslim cleric denounced the remarks and demanded the pope personally apologize for insulting Islam.

"We do not accept the apology through Vatican channels ... and ask him (Benedict) to offer a personal apology _ not through his officials _ to Muslims for this false reading (of Islam)," Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah told worshippers in his Friday prayers sermon.

A Lebanese government official said the country's ambassador to the Vatican has been instructed to seek clarifications on the pontiff's remarks.

In neighboring Syria, the grand mufti, the country's top Sunni Muslim religious authority, sent a letter to the Pope saying he feared the pontiff's comments on Islam would worsen interfaith relations.

And in Cairo, about 100 demonstrators gathered in an anti-Vatican protest outside the capital's al-Azhar mosque.

Pakistan's parliament unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the pope for making what it called "derogatory" comments about Islam, and seeking an apology from him

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry also called the pope's remarks "regrettable."

"Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said.

"What he has done is that he has quoted very offensive remarks by some emperor hundreds of years ago," Aslam said. "It is not helpful (because) we have been trying to bridge the gap, calling for dialogue and understanding between religions."

She said Muslims had a long history of tolerance, adding that when the Catholic kingdom of Spain expelled its Jewish population in 1492 they were welcomed by Muslim nations such as the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

The head of Britain's largest Muslim body said it was disturbed by the pope's use of a 14th century passage. The Muslim Council, which represents 400 groups in Britain, said the emperor's views were "ill-informed and frankly bigoted."

"One would expect a religious leader such as the pope to act and speak with responsibility and repudiate the Byzantine emperor's views in the interests of truth and harmonious relations between the followers of Islam and Catholicism," said Muhammad Abdul Bari, the council's secretary-general.

Benedict, who has made the fight against growing secularism in Western society a theme of his pontificate, is expected to visit Turkey for a few days, starting Nov. 28. He was invited by the staunchly secularist Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who said the invitation was part of an effort to strengthen dialogue between religions.

On Friday the pope appointed a French prelate with diplomatic experience in the Muslim world as the Vatican's new foreign minister. The new foreign minister _ officially called secretary for relations with states _ is Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, 54, who was born of French parents in Morocco.

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Associated Press Writer Benjamin Harvey contributed to this report from Istanbul.


Pope Benedict is earning my respect more and more every day. It's nice to see that he is not afraid to speak the truth.

Alexandr

Here is a summation:

Islam is tolerant, but we tolerate no criticism of Islam. Accept this makes sense, ignore all evidence that Islam is not a religion of peace, and apologize for what you said.

In the old days, when you wanted to insult someone, you'd say something about his mother. Now that Hitler came to power, everyone compares everyone else to Hitler. It's now almost meaningless because it is in the media dozens of times per day.

If Islam was really that peaceful, how did the religion spread across an Empire that took 300-500 years to convert to the Holy Faith in only 100 years? Those people were converted by the sword, after they were already weakened by Arianism.

The Holy Father is full of wisdom and he speaks deliberately and carefully. People will spin anything according to their hate. And the world hates Our Lord and His Church. And the world hates the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.

Interesting that THEY bring up Hitler, because during WWII, Hitler had strong support from some Muslim leaders in Palestine. They especially liked his "take" on the "Jewish question".

Dn. Robert

right you are, Doc. along with Arianism, the non Chalcedonain Christology, a.k.a. Monophysitism, helped pave the way, and don't forget Nestorianism. get your Christolgy straight, and you won't have problems with Muslims, JWs or anyone else.
Much Love,
jonn

I'm sure this will do wonders for that trip to Turkey scheduled for the future. They were already ticked off at him because he said they shouldn't be in the EU. They didn't need much more to push them over the edge.

Pope Benedict XVI's speech before academics at the University of Regensburg was intended to reaffirm the Catholic Church's pursuit of dialogue among religions and cultures, identifying Islam preeminently as the first partner in these dialogues because "terrorism," spawned by militant and fundamentalist Muslims, is gripping the world today.

The Holy Father proposed that these dialogues should be based on "faith and reason," which he believes will undercut the argument that there could be a "jihad" or "holy war," i.e., violence is justified by one's beliefs or faith, quoting the 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Paleologos II adverse observation.

The Pope said war and violence cannot be used in the name of God for God is love.

In advancing the cause for continuing dialogues among different and divergent faiths and cultures, Pope Benedict XVI seems to be saying, observed by a respected news magazine:

"Yes, we must indeed talk, but now is the time for hard questions—not hugs and handshakes."

Amado

Why does one have to respect the religion of Islam, anyway? Aren't we to love and respect Muslims, as they are part of the human race and therefore children of God, but not necessarily respect their religion which is a false one?

I actually don't understand why any religion besides the True one deserves respect; I only see why its adherents deserve respect.

Also, I think we need to start a prayer chain going before the Pope visits Turkey in a couple months. The possibility of him being assassinated seems more and more likely with every day that passes.

Logos Teen

Yesterday, I would have told you to shut your mouth up and to stop feeding your youthful imagination!

But your observation ran smack into my feeble mind and now sparks come aflying.

The official invitation was issued by the President/Chief of State of Turkey but the itinerary and security detail will be undertaken by the government headed by the Prime Minister, whose deputy hurled the most vicious criticism against the Pope and his statements.

Add to this the lukewarm interest of the Vatican (actually, the Holy See maintains her neutrality on this question) in Turkey's bid for EU accession, now in process.

Can we trust the Muslim Turks, avowedly secular, under these conditions?

Teen, I'll join your prayer chain!

Amado

You really don't think that the darkness of this world wants Pope Benedict to visit Turkey do you?

That is what this is all about. satan does not want the Pope in Turkey!

Do you remember what is said of the Hagia Sophia (not certain I have this completely correct), but when we return to the Hagia Sophia the Bishops and Priests will come from the walls - where they disappeared into with the Eucharist to protect it from the mongoers - they will return with it from there.

He is sceduled to go to the Hagia Sophia. I mean think about it. It will be the beginning of our return. Possibly the return of Christianity as a/the major faith belief to Turkey.

Just some rambling thoughts.
Pani Rose

Dear Logus Teen you said:

I say:

You know the same thing came into my mind yesterday. In all this, the media and newspapers, (as usual) are to blame. Instead of just saying that the Pope insulted the Muslims, they should mention what exactly the Emporor said. He said that people should come to God through reasoning and not the sword. :rolleyes:

Now had it been stated this way, maybe it might have been the start of some kind of dialogue. Instead, the Muslim media with it's typical lack of responsability, twisted everything out of context....as usual. Do those people ever take the defensive? Of course had it been presented the way it should have been, maybe they would.

The problem really is the culture in that part of the world, and that of course, is due to their religion. They have no business class, and therefore no jobs. All they can do is go to the streets and riot.

Zenovia

Logos Teen, an accolade to your prescience!

Full story:

http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=7217

Amado

Dear Pani Rose,

What lovely thoughts! I had never thought of the visit to the church of Aghia Sophia. He should have been more careful though, in that sense. Turkey is having quite a bit of problems. It refuses to recognize Cyprus, and allow Cypriot planes and ships to enter Turkey, and this is causing quite a furor. A country wanting to enter the EU cannot bar another EU nation from using it's facilities.

Turkey also has not done enough on human rights, and one writer that mentioned the Armenian genocide, was arrested for being against 'Turkishness'. But there is also a problem with the terrorist group the PKK, that wants to separate Turkish Kurdistan from Turkey and unite with the Kurds in Norther Iraq.

When those terrorists commit their acts,Turkey becomes infuriated that the US will not allow it to enter Northern Iraq to go after them. Let's remember, thanks to us, that Turkey has one of the largest armed forces in the world and Turkey fools no one. Everyone knows full well that Turkey wants to covet the Kurdish oil wells.

This was basically the reason Turkey would not allow the American troops to enter Iraq through it's territory, costing us quite a bit at the start of the war. Turkey wanted it's troops to enter with us, but who would trust a nation where the fighting between it and the Kurds within it's borders cost the lives of 30,000 people...27,000 thousand of them Kurd civilians.

The situation is really delicate. I fear for the Pope and the Patriarch as well. I do wish the media in that part of the world would learn to act more responsible. Maybe that's why the Saudi government is paying for it's best and brightest to start attending American universities.

By the way, I also fear for the Vatican. Those people are crazy. :rolleyes:

Zenovia

Islam's reaction to the Pope's speech, based solely on media partial "quotes," is, indeed, disturbing to say the least.

An article by a Middle Eastern (Arabic) Catholic cleric, courtesy of AsiaNews:

Rest of article:

http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=7224

Amado

Why would they ever want to quote the whole speech - that could mean using the word CONSTRUCTIVE. Oh my, I wonder if it is in their dictionary? They are afraid it might help someone.

Pani Rose