For those wanting to check the latest on what’s happening with Pope Benedict in Turkey, Christopher over at Against the Grain has a running roundup, including his upcoming schedule day-by-day.
HERE’S THE LINK.
Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
View all posts by Jimmy Akin
Thanks for the link, Jimmy — just so folks are aware, I rarely get the opportunity to update the blog during the day, so this particular roundup will be compiled in the evenings. Lots happening, so please visit often. =)
AL-QAIDA DENOUNCES POPE VISIT TO TURKEY
“The pope’s visit, in fact, is to consolidate the crusader campaign against the lands of Islam after the failure of the crusader leaders … and an attempt to extinguish the burning ember of Islam inside our Turkish brothers,” it said.
Turkey holds a significant place in the mind-set of al-Qaida and militant Islamic groups that sympathize with it. Under the Ottomans, Turkey was the seat of the Islamic caliphate, the religious rule extending over much of the Islamic world until its collapse in the early 20th century.
Al-Qaida has said its goal is to restore the caliphate, to unify Muslims in the fight against the West.
The group said the pope was visiting in order to ensure that Turkey — “once a stronghold of Islam” — remains secular and “is driven into the arms of the European Union to stop the spread of Islam.” (EXCERPTS)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061129/ap_on_re_mi_ea/pope_al_qaida_3
PLEASE ALL PRAY FOR THE POPE’S SAFETY IN THIS VISIT!
He looks like the negative of Neo from Matrix. Take that as you will.
He looks like the negative of Neo from Matrix. Take that as you will.
Except for the fact that he’s more advanced in age! ;^)
God bless him!
POPE’S TURKISH TOUR IS A SURPRISING SUCCESS
Benedict transforms his pre-speech image as a cranky Islamaphobe
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15971974/
ISTANBUL, Turkey — The newspaper headlines here have been astonishing. “So Far So Good,” read one banner headline; “Alliance of Faiths,” read another. And splashed across the front page of most papers Thursday was a picture of a smiling Pope Benedict XVI waving a Turkish flag.
With gentle gestures and well-timed words, Benedict managed to charm the Turkish people and transformed his image from a crusty old anti-Turkish Islamaphobe to a politically savvy statesman in a matter of days. (He is set to return to Rome at midday Friday.)
EXCERPT
Pope’s Turkish tour is a surprising success
DIRE WARNINGS
This is not how things were expected to turn out for Benedict’s visit to Turkey. Rather, there were dire warnings of mass demonstrations and fears that there might even be an assassination attempt because tensions were still so raw among many Turkish people over past perceived transgressions by the pope.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15971974/
Not world peace yet, but….
The hurdles to achieve inter-faith trust are formidable, but as this trip winds up, both the pope and the Turkish people can be considered winners.
The losers were easy to spot: al-Qaida in Iraq and the Muslim brotherhood in Egypt, both of which protested the Pope’s visit — al-Qaida calling it a “crusader campaign” against Islam — and expressed hope that the Turkish people would extensively protest the pope’s visit.
Let’s go to the scoreboard: Turkey has a population of 70 million people, 99 percent of whom are Muslim, yet they hosted the leader of the Catholic faith with dignity, respect and, on occasion, charm.
It was not an easy visit for both sides, but the world got a valuable lesson in tolerance.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15971974/