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Banners spread across Istanbul said "Pope, don't come" before his visit to Turkey (Photo: EUobserver)

Turkey claims Pope supports its EU membership bid

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."

Such a statement would mark a significant shift in the Vatican's views, with a Vatican spokesman s...

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Banners spread across Istanbul said "Pope, don't come" before his visit to Turkey (Photo: EUobserver)

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