In September, Pope Benedict XVI made a controversial speech quoting a Byzantine emperor who attacked Islam as a violent religion. Before he was Pope, he said Turkey's Muslim character should keep it out of the European Union. But he arrived in Ankara today with a message of "brotherhood," calling Turkey "a bridge between the religions." Despite earlier word that he would not have time, Prime Minister Erdogan met with the Pope for 20 minutes before leaving for the NATO Summit in Latvia. Erdogan told reporters the Pope now supports Turkey's admission into the European Union. Will the people of Turkey accept the Pope's call for a "dialogue" between the religions? Will his message of reconciliation help resolve growing tensions between Christianity and Islam?
Pope Benedict XVI, Mending Fences in Turkey
Credits
Guests:
- Hugh Pope - International Crisis Group - @Hugh_Pope
- Ilter Turan - Bilgi University
- David van Biema - Senior religion writer for Time magazine
- John Esposito - Professor of Religion and International Affairs at Georgetown University