Pope leaves Turkey after momentous visit ( wins praise in Turkey for gestures in mosque)

AFP ^ | December 1, 2006 | Gina Doggett

[NYer]

Pope Benedict XVI releases a dove before celebrating a mass at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Istanbul, December 1, 2006. (Patrick Hertzog/Pool/Reuters)

[NYer]

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Mass inside the Holy Spirit Catholic Cathedral after freeing four doves, symbol of peace, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, Dec. 1, 2006. The pope celebrated Mass for members of Turkey's tiny Roman Catholic community a day after a stunning moment of prayer at a mosque repeated his call to end divisions among the world's Christians. (AP Photo/Patrick Hertzog, Pool)

Catholic Ping
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[Vigilanteman]

I'd like to make an appropriate gesture in a mosque.

[x_plus_one]

Was that appropriate position bottoms up?

[Gerish]

That is a beautiful pic - a definite sign of HOPE!

[Carolina]

Papal Pause Not Exactly a Prayer

ISTANBUL, Turkey, NOV. 30, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's silent pause during his visit to the Blue Mosque was not prayer in the proper sense of the term, clarified the Vatican spokesman.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, confirmed, after the Holy Father's historic visit today, that "the Pope paused in a moment of meditation and recollection."

"It was a moment of personal meditation, of relationship with God, which can also be called of personal, profound prayer," Father Lombardi told journalists, "but it was not a prayer with external manifestations characteristic of the Christian faith."

[Uncle Miltie]

He survived the trip?

Surely this man is blessed.

There must've been hundreds gunning for him.

[Gamecock]

Adding drama to diplomacy, the 79-year-old Pope made a stunning conciliatory gesture Thursday when he assumed an attitude of Muslim prayer while facing Mecca in Istanbul's Blue Mosque.

Must have not been any Korans nearby.

[manic4organic]

I would have only one gesture if I were in a mosque.

[Psalm 73]

"...the 79-year-old Pope....assumed an attitude of Muslim prayer while facing Mecca in Istanbul's Blue Mosque."

It is still paying deference to a false god, and that's just plain creepy.

And God spoke all these words, saying:
"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
Exodus 20:1-5

[Carolina]

We Christians celebrate our liturgy facing East in anticipation of the Lord's return. This is our ancient posture. Facing East is not an exclusive property of Islam.

[Theoden]

I fail to see why the direction he prays in matters. Mecca would be situated South of Turkey, as would Jerusalem. Who really cares if he made a nice gesture, we all know he was praying for their conversion, and this is a win-win situation, but I guess that doesn't matter to a Calvinist, God has already micromanaged everything for them. It's too bad their way of thought is so insignificant, and that none of their leaders are important enough to make national headlines, let alone international headlines.

[Psalm 73]

It is the context that he did it in.
Islam is a false religion hatched by Satan - a Christian leader, esp. one of such prominenece, should never demonstrate a reverence for it.
Sure, we are to love Muslims, and to show them the way to true salvation (Jesus, and only Jesus)- but we should never pretend that their god is legitimate in any way.
This just sends the wrong message - Pope Benedict is wise enough to know better.

[Tokra]

I'm sure most of us Freepers would love to go into a mosque and give the muslims a "gesture".

[Psalm 73]

"It's too bad their way of thought is so insignificant, and that none of their leaders are important enough to make national headlines...."

Do you realize what you just said?
You know, Theoden, a little humility goes a long way - no need to attack "Gamecock" like that.

[livius]

He was demonstrating courtesy to his hosts, and I fail to see that praying to the True God in any situation could be a sin. He was not praying to Mecca, to Allah, or to any of the other Islamic weirdnesses...

[NYer]

a Christian leader, esp. one of such prominenece, should never demonstrate a reverence for it.

The Holy Father was not showing reverence for Islam. He was praying to the One, Holy and Almighty God. And you can be sure he was praying for peace and freedom of religion.

[mockingbyrd]

Christians were praying eastwards long before the Muslims started. Look at the picture, if that is an attitude of Muslim prayer, then most people I know pray in a attitude of Muslims prayer. This is a nonstory that the media is trying to make something out of inorder to scandalize Christians. Don't fall for it.