Benedict is now ‘likeable’ to Turks after pilgrimage

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI has become “likeable” to Turkish Muslims thanks to his pilgrimage to Turkey, a Vatican cardinal said on Saturday.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, a German prelate who heads the Vatican office for better relations among Christians, told a news conference at the Vatican that the November 28-December 1 pilgrimage went beyond expectations. “The figure of the pope has become likeable for Turkish Muslims, and this is a very important fact,” Kasper said.The pilgrimage was proof of the pope’s willingness to work for “cooperation among civilisations,” Kasper said.For the Holy See, “a clash between civilisations would be a catastrophe for all of humanity, so everything possible must be done to overcome prejudices,” the cardinal said.Separately, Kasper told Vatican Radio that the Vatican wanted to continue the dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox after the Turkish trip.Benedict’s main purpose in setting out for Turkey was a meeting with the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who has his headquarters in Istanbul.Nampa-AP”The figure of the pope has become likeable for Turkish Muslims, and this is a very important fact,” Kasper said.The pilgrimage was proof of the pope’s willingness to work for “cooperation among civilisations,” Kasper said.For the Holy See, “a clash between civilisations would be a catastrophe for all of humanity, so everything possible must be done to overcome prejudices,” the cardinal said.Separately, Kasper told Vatican Radio that the Vatican wanted to continue the dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox after the Turkish trip.Benedict’s main purpose in setting out for Turkey was a meeting with the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who has his headquarters in Istanbul.Nampa-AP