Ali Bardakoğlu waiting for clarification from pope before visit

The invitation was extended to Ali Bardakoğlu, president of the Religious Affairs Directorate of Turkey, after Pope Benedict’s first visit to Turkey in 2006, during which the pontiff met with Bardakoğlu for half an hour. Following objections from the Turkish side, the original verbal invitation was complemented by a written one and transmitted to Bardakoğlu’s office through the Turkish Embassy in Vatican City. Yet the details of the meeting and its format have yet to be ascertained, and this is preventing the Turkish side from making the visit happen.

During the Turkish state minister and the chief EU negotiator’s visit to the Vatican earlier this month, in which he met Secretary for Relations with States in the Roman Curia for the Holy See Dominique François Joseph Mamberti, Vatican officials told Today’s Zaman that the ball is in the Turkish court and that they are anxiously awaiting Bardakoğlu’s visit. “We are really looking forward to his visit, as it will boost endeavors at dialogue by the Holy Father,” one official said, declining to be named. Turkish Embassy officials in the Holy See also confirmed the invitation, saying details are being worked out.

Mehmet Görmez, deputy president of the Religious Affairs Directorate for external affairs, however, blames the delay on Vatican officials. He told Today’s Zaman that the pontiff’s office failed to respond to Turkish requests for details on such a meeting, adding that “Bardakoğlu is really looking forward to reciprocating the pope’s visit to Turkey.”

“We believe such an important visit should be carefully planned in advance and all details mapped out attentively in order to derive the maximum benefit for both sides,” Görmez underlined.

This is not the first time a disagreement has erupted over a meeting between the two powerful men. Three months prior to the pope’s visit to Ankara in 2006, Turkey’s religious affairs office and the Vatican had swapped deals over how to make the meeting happen in Turkey. At first, the Vatican suggested that the meeting take place either on the outskirts of Ankara, at the Holy See’s embassy compound, in the Turkish presidential palace in Çankaya or at Dolmabahçe Palace in İstanbul. All three requests were denied on the grounds that Pope Benedict was meeting with Bardakoğlu in his capacity as a religious leader, not a political one. In the end, the Vatican agreed to have the meeting in Bardakoğlu’s office.

The previous meeting of Bardakoğlu and Pope Benedict was hailed as a success, in that both men emphasized common themes of dialogue and understanding throughout the talks, at which members of the papal entourage and Turkish Muslim officials, including the grand muftis of Ankara and İstanbul, were present. Bardakoğlu also took the opportunity to make a point about rising Islamophobia and said Islam is a religion of peace that condemns terrorism and the taking of innocent life.

It was Bardakoğlu who offered some of the harshest criticisms of the pontiff after his speech in the Bavarian city of Regensburg, nearly 10 weeks prior to his visit to Turkey. In a speech exploring the relationship of faith and reason, the pope quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor linking the Prophet Muhammad to “things only evil and inhuman,” including a command to spread the faith through violence. The pope has expressed regret over the reaction to his words but has not offered an outright apology. The Vatican has insisted that the pope’s remarks were taken out of context. Bardakoğlu said at the time Pope Benedict’s words were “unacceptable” and accused the pope of harboring “hatred in his heart” for Muslims.

The pope’s visit in 2006 offered an opportunity to mend ties with predominantly Muslim Turkey, which is becoming increasingly assertive in its foreign policy both in the region and in the world. The delay of Bardakoğlu’s plans to visit the Vatican for four years over secondary issues in details continues to puzzle proponents of dialogue both in Turkey and in the Vatican.

Pope picks successor to slain bishop in Turkey

Meanwile, Pope Benedict XVI has chosen an Italian prelate based in İzmir to replace a bishop who was stabbed to death earlier this month in Anatolia. Monsignor Ruggero Franceschini, who has been serving as bishop of İzmir since 2004, will be the new apostolic vicar of Anatolia Luigi Padovese, the Vatican’s apostolic vicar in Anatolia, was stabbed to death on June 3. His driver, Murat Altun, has been charged with the murder, and Turkish authorities have said the killer had no political or religious motives.