REUTERS: Cyprus - Pope Benedict said on Friday the killing of a leading Catholic bishop in Turkey should not be allowed to hurt dialogue with Islam or stain the image of Turkey and its people.
The pope, beginning a three-day visit to the divided island of Cyprus, also told reporters aboard his plane that he hoped the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla would not result in lost hope for Middle East peace.
Benedict spoke of his "profound sadness" over the stabbing Thursday of Italian Bishop Luigi Padovese, a leading Catholic official in Turkey, who was killed by his Turkish driver.
"We are still awaiting a full explanation but we don't want to mix up this tragic episode with Islam. It is a case apart which saddens us but should not be allowed to darken the dialogue (with Islam) in any way," Benedict said.
"We must not attribute this to Turkey or to Turks ... the certain thing is that it was not a political or religious assassination. It was a personal thing."
Turkish officials say Padovese, a proponent of dialogue with Islam, was killed by his driver, who they say had shown recent signs of mental instability.
Catholic dialogue with Islam has been rocky at best since the pope, in a lecture in his native Germany in 2006, equated Islam with violence. He later said his words were misinterpreted and Vatican and Islamic leaders have since stepped up dialogue.
"Despite our differences, Muslims are our brothers and we have to encourage a common vision of dialogue with them," he said. >>> Philip Pullella, Paphos | Friday, June 04, 2010
Verbunden mit diesem Artikel:
WELT ONLINE: Türkei: Bischof erstochen – Polizei vermutet psychische Störung >>> Von Boris Kalnóky | Donnerstag, 03. Juni 2010
Lien en relation avec l’article:
LE FIGARO: Un prêtre poignardé en Turquie >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Jeudi 03 Juin 2010
