Turkey visit 'unforgettable'
2006-12-03 18:02
Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI said on Sunday that his recent visit to Turkey was an "unforgettable experience" that he hoped would be useful for dialogue with Muslims and co-operation with the Orthodox Church.
The pope spoke of "the unforgettable pastoral and spiritual experience" of his visit to Turkey during his weekly Angelus blessing in front of thousands of worshippers on Saint Peter's Square.
The momentous four-day visit came a mere 10 weeks after the pope outraged Muslims by appearing to equate Islam with violence, and turned into a significant conciliatory mission.
Mecca
The pontiff said he hoped the trip - his first to a Muslim country - would bear "good fruit for an always more sincere co-operation between all the disciples of Christ and for a fruitful dialogue with Muslim believers".
On Friday, the pope ended a visit in which he reached out to Muslims and the Orthodox Church while standing firm on key issues such as papal authority and Europe's Christian roots.
The 79-year-old pope made a symbolic conciliatory gesture on Thursday when he assumed an attitude of Muslim prayer while facing Mecca in Istanbul's Blue Mosque.
He also met with Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of about 150 million Orthodox faithful, after which he described as a "scandal to the world" the schism between the feuding Christian branches dating back nearly a millennium.