Read Irshad Manji’s analysis of the Pope in Turkey
The Pope honoured a priest murdered in Turkey, and offered encouragement to the Catholic minority in a country where a number of priests have been attacked.
Both Turkish and Vatican officials had felt that the Mass, at the House of the Virgin Mary — where the mother of Jesus is traditionally held to have died — was the point at which the Pope would be most at risk from Islamic extremists.
At yesterday’s mass, one of the smallest any Pope has celebrated, he referred to Turkey’s Christian community as “a small minority which faces many challenges and difficulties daily”. He paid tribute to Father Andrea Santoro, an Italian priest murdered at the altar of his church in February.
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But the overall tone was upbeat, with the Vatican determined to build on the positive mood created on Tuesday when he said he “favoured” Turkey’s bid for EU membership, and called for Christian-Muslim reconciliation.
Yesterday he appealed to the Virgin Mary to grant peace in the Middle East and around the world, noting that she was venerated by Muslims as well: “Let us sing joyfully, even when we are tested by dangers.”