VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI in Turkey - Meeting with the Diplomatic Corps: “I am therefore happy to be a guest of Turkey today, having come here as a friend and as an apostle of dialogue and peace.”

Ankara (Agenzia Fides) - “I am therefore happy to be a guest of Turkey today, having come here as a friend and as an apostle of dialogue and peace.” Pope Benedict XVI said to the Diplomatic Corps, at the Apostolic Nunciature in Ankara, on 28 November. In his address the Holy Father recalled visits to Turkey, Pope Paul VI in 1967 and Pope John Paul II in 1979 also mentioning the untiring promoter of peace during World War I, Pope Benedict XV, and Blessed John XXIII, the Pope known as the “friend of Turks”, Apostolic Delegate in Turkey and Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Vicariate of Istanbul”.
Referring to commitment for peace, the Pope said “true peace needs justice, to correct the economic imbalances and political disturbances which always give rise to tension and threaten every society.” It is necessary, he said, to “respect the decisions of international institutions” and above all reach real dialogue “that is to say fruitful debate between the parties concerned, in order to arrive at lasting and acceptable political solutions, respectful of persons and peoples.”. The Holy Father then mentioned the conflict in the Middle East, encouraging the efforts of many countries including Turkey to restore peace in Lebanon, and calling once again on the international community “not to abandon its responsibilities”.
The Pope said Turkey is a “bridge between East and West, between the continent of Asia and that of Europe, a crossroads of cultures and religions”. During the last century she acquired means to become “a great modern state” the Pope said, recalling the decision to make a clear distinction between civil society and religion in autonomy and reciprocal respect. Turkey’s Constitution recognises every citizen’s right to freedom of worship and freedom of conscience. “The civil authorities of every democratic country are duty bound to guarantee the effective freedom of all believers and to permit them to organize freely the life of their religious communities - the Pope said - Naturally it is my hope that believers, whichever religious community they belong to, will continue to benefit from these rights, since I am certain that religious liberty is a fundamental expression of human liberty and that the active presence of religions in society is a source of progress and enrichment for all”.
“This assumes, of course, that religions do not seek to exercise direct political power, as that is not their province, and it also assumes that they utterly refuse to sanction recourse to violence as a legitimate expression of religion”. The Pope said, adding in this regard, “I appreciate the work of the Catholic community in Turkey, small in number but deeply committed to contributing all it can to the country’s development, notably by educating the young, and by building peace and harmony among all citizens.” He stressed the importance of authentic dialogue whose purpose is to “enable different religions to come to know one another better and to respect one another, in order to work for the fulfilment of man’s noblest aspirations, in search of God and in search of happiness”. He expressed his esteem for Muslims, encouraging them to “continue to work together, in mutual respect, to promote the dignity of every human being and the growth of a society where personal freedom and care for others provide peace and serenity for all”.
Since the Church, has received a spiritual mission from her Founder, the Pope reaffirmed, “she has no intention of intervening directly in political or economic life. However, by virtue of her mission and her long experience of the history of societies and cultures, she wishes to make her voice heard in international debate, so that man’s fundamental dignity, especially that of the weakest, may always be honoured”. The Pope concluded “The voice of the Church on the diplomatic scene is always characterized by the Gospel commitment to serve the cause of humanity, and I would be failing in this fundamental obligation if I did not remind you of the need always to place human dignity at the very heart of our concerns…I sincerely hope that the good relations between nations, which it is your task to serve, may also contribute increasingly to the genuine growth of humanity, created in the image of God.”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 29/11/2006 - righe 49, parole 713)