Thursday, December 1, 2005

Muslim Turkey Snubs Pope Benedict XVI

Why am I blogging about the government of Turkey not allowing Pope Benedict XVI to visit the Orthodox Patriarch for the feast of St. Andrew? It is just another example of the hostility that Turkey has towards its Christian minorities. After the sacking of Constantinople in 1453 and the coopting of the Hagia Sophia, the Turks, or more accurately, the Muslims or Muslim Turks (since most Turks today were originally Greek Orthodox before forced conversions) have been on a centuries long pogrom of eliminating Christianity from Anatolia. They are almost there. With less than 1% of the population professing their lives to Christ, Turkey still feels insecure about itself, ie, 99% Muslim citizens. Enough so that when the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholemew of Constantinople invites the Pope to celebrate the feast of St. Andrews and then the Turkish government goes ahead and slaps the leader of the 300 million Orthodox Christians by refusing entry to Pope Benedict XVI into Turkey. Again, this is just a friendly reminder of the Muslim rooted government in power in Turkey along with their 'secular' opponents, treating this very subversive Christian minority poorly. For more click here. For the moderate view from Turkey, click here.

3 comments:

Maybe they're still miffed that Benedikt opposed their entry into the European Union, on the petty, pedantic grounds that Turkey isn't part of Europe (which a glance at my map of Europe seems to confirm)?

Anonymous said...

Culturally and geographically they are not part of Europe.

If they would allow religious freedom, restore the Hagia Sophia to the Orthodox Church, and fix the wrongs of the Armenian genocide, then YES, let them into Europe. (my personal opinion)

Anonymous said...

Conde:

The Turks are not "descended from Greeks" in the slightest, they are descended from Mongolian nomads who entered Asia Minor in 1071 and subsequently eliminated the indigenous Christian population over a thousand year period, culminating in the Armenian Holocaust and the Constantinople pogrom of 1955. Don't inadvertently aid Turkey's genocide denial campaign.

Paul:
Firstly - whether or not Anatolia, the land mass, is on the European continent is immaterial (but you're wrong anyway) - what is relevant is that Turkey is not a European society is the same way the New Zealand is not a Polynesian society despite being physically located in Polynesia. It is an Asiatic society on "European" soil, at best.

Secondly - if you honestly believe that the illegal occupation of Cyprus (and the displacement of 200000 refugees), continued denial of the Armenian Holocaust, and nonstop brutalization of Kurds (50000 of whom were murdered) are "petty" reasons to be an opponent of Turkey's ambitions then I can only pray for your soul.

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