On a day marked by high security in the Turkish capital Ankara, but also by little public interest, Pope Benedict XVI yesterday began his first visit to a majority Muslim country in a mood of conciliation, writes Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent, in Ankara.
It began when he told the country's prime minister that he supported Turkey's bid to join the EU. Later in the day, he spoke of his "great esteem" for Muslims.
Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that his meeting with the pope at Ankara airport constituted a meeting of minds. They had a 20-minute private conversation before Mr Erdogan flew to Latvia for the Nato summit meeting. His presence to greet the pope was confirmed only late on Monday night.
Mr Erdogan said the emphasis was on an "alliance" rather than a "clash" of civilisations, adding that the pope characterised Islam as a religion of "peace, tolerance, and affection".
Addressing diplomats at the Vatican embassy in Ankara last night, Pope Benedict repeated his call for "authentic dialogue" between religions and cultures. Such dialogue, he said, "must enable different religions to come to know one another better and to respect one another".
He said: "On the occasion of my visit to Turkey, I wish to reiterate my great esteem for Muslims, encouraging them to continue to work together, in mutual respect, to promote the dignity of every human being and the growth of society where personal freedom and care for others provide peace and serenity for all."
In the same address, and in an oblique reference to the restricted freedoms of Christians in Turkey, he pointed out that the civil authorities in every democratic country were "duty-bound to guarantee the effective freedom of all believers and to permit them to organise freely the life of their religious communities".
He said he was "certain that religious liberty is a fundamental expression of human liberty", and pointed out that the Turkish constitution "recognises every citizen's right to freedom of worship and freedom of conscience".
On international terrorism, he said: "Recent developments in terrorism and in certain regional conflicts have highlighted the need to respect the decisions of international institutions and also to support them, in particular by giving them effective means to prevent conflicts and to maintain neutral zones between belligerents, through the presence of peace-keeping forces."
None of this, however, would be effective without "authentic dialogue". He was thinking here "most especially of the disturbing conflict in the Middle East, which shows no sign of abating".
Earlier yesterday the pope told Dr Ali Bardakoglu, a Sunni Muslim cleric and Turkey's head of religious affairs: "Your country is very dear to Christians. Many of the earliest Christian communities were founded here."
With references to "this noble land" and its "glorious past", he recalled words written by pope John XXIII, who had been papal nuncio to Turkey for 10 years: "I love the Turks. I appreciate the natural qualities of these people . . ."
He said that he too wished "to highlight the qualities of the Turkish population".
Addressing the common heritage of Islam and Christianity, Pope Benedict continued: "This human and spiritual unity in our origins and our destiny impels us to seek a common path as we play our part in the quest for fundamental values."
Dr Bardakoglu said Muslims condemned "all types of violence and terror" regardless of who was responsible. However, he said Muslims had noted a gradual increase in Islamophobia.
The pope's trip to Turkey has been overshadowed by remarks he made about Islam and the prophet Mohammed 10 weeks ago in which he quoted a description of Islam as "evil and inhuman".