Turkey claims Pope supports its EU membership bid
LUCIA KUBOSOVA
29.11.2006 @ 10:14 CET
In an apparent reversal of his previous stance, the Pope Benedict XVI has reportedly said he supports Turkey joining the EU.
Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Catholic Church leader told him during a 20-minute conversation at the outset of the pontiff's four-day trip to the mainly Muslim secular country "we are not political but we wish for Turkey to join the EU."
Banners spread across Istanbul said "Pope, don't come" before his visit to Turkey (Photo: EUobserver)
Such a statement would mark a significant shift in the Vatican's views, with a Vatican spokesman stating later on Tuesday that the Holy See had no political powers to influence the decision but the Pope supported "Turkey's integration into Europe."
The pontiff's journey is being followed with great attention in both Europe and the Islamic world, after a September speech in which he quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor suggesting a link between Islam and violence caused anger among Muslims.
Before becoming Pope, the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger also riled Turkey.
In an interview with French daily Le Figaro in 2004, he said that historically Turkey has never been part of Europe.
However, when asked about Turkey's aspirations to join the EU on the flight to Turkey on Tuesday, Benedict XVI told journalists - according to Catholic News Agency - "It may be useful to remember that the Father of modern Turkey, Ataturk, used the French constitution as a model for his reconstruction of Turkey.
"At the origin of modern Turkey lies dialogue with European reason and its thinking, its way of living, to be realised in a new way in a different historic and religious context. "
"Hence, the dialogue between European reason and Turkish Muslim tradition is inscribed in modern Turkey's very existence and thus, we have a mutual responsibility one towards the other."
