There’s a Dossier on Turkey on the Pope’s Table (Benedict XVI will go to Istanbul in November)

L'Espresso ^ | March 22, 2006 | Sandro Magister

[ArrogantBustard]

On one of my visits, the touring party included a husband and wife from Saudi Arabia (I think she was a woman; it was hard to tell given the tent she was wearing).

ROFL!!!!!

Did the 'wife' have two legs, or four?

[Democratshavenobrains]

I had no idea Christians made up around 24% of the Ottoman Empire. I would have thought it was something like 10%. Must have been the high infant mortality of Muslims.

[RonF]

The thing that has surprised me time and time again has been that every time a new democracy starts up in the world, none of them use our system of governance. I figure that it's because the people putting them together recognize that our system allows people to replace party figures and strongmen with popularly elected leaders, whereas this kind of system allows the party to have precedence. It's instructive that the Constitution makes no mention or recognition of political parties, and that our Founding Fathers warned against them.

[Revolting cat!]

I'd feel better about this if the Pontiff went to Constantinople instead.

[zimdog]

I had no idea Christians made up around 24% of the Ottoman Empire. I would have thought it was something like 10%. Must have been the high infant mortality of Muslims.

MOre likely it was because, at various times, the Ottoman Empire extended over many lands that had large Christian populations: The Balkans, Egypt, the Levant, Armenia, etc. High infant mortality would point to an increasing proportion of Christians, but a single demographic snapshot (24%) offers no window into how population numbers changed.

[JoeFromSidney]

Did the 'wife' have two legs, or four?

How could I tell?

[JoeFromSidney]

The thing that has surprised me time and time again has been that every time a new democracy starts up in the world, none of them use our system of governance. I figure that it's because the people putting them together recognize that our system allows people to replace party figures and strongmen with popularly elected leaders, whereas this kind of system allows the party to have precedence. It's instructive that the Constitution makes no mention or recognition of political parties, and that our Founding Fathers warned against them.

I hadn't thought about it that way, but I believe you're right. Unfortunately, we've established the same "proportional representation" system in Iraq.

[NYer]

I'd feel better about this if the Pontiff went to Constantinople instead.

He is going as the guest of Patriarch Bartholomew I. Pope Benedict XVi is working assiduously to heal the rift betwen the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Security will no doubt be very high. Thanks for the concern. Please keep him in your prayers.

[Democratshavenobrains]

Well by the time 1914 rolled around, the Ottomans were kicked out of most of the Balkans. Losing Greece in the 19th century must have brought the percentage of Christians in the Empire down a lot just by itself. At the Empire's height, with the Balkans, its easy to imagine it was 24% Christian though.