In a gesture designed to highlight his commitment to inter-faith dialogue, Pope Francis conducted a silent prayer alongside a senior Islamic cleric in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday. Facing Mecca, Francis bowed his head in prayer for several minutes while standing next to Istanbul’s Grand Mufti Rahmi Yaran. The Vatican described the gesture as a “moment of silent adoration” of God.

Francis’s predecessor, Pope Benedict, caused dismay among many conservative Catholics and some Muslims when he appeared to pray in the same mosque on his visit to Turkey eight years ago. The Vatican felt compelled to publish a statement saying that Benedict had merely been in meditation, though he later acknowledged that he “certainly turned his thoughts to God”.

Francis then paid a visit to the Hagia Sophia, the most important cathedral of Orthodoxy for almost 1,000 years. The basilica was turned into an imperial mosque under the Ottomans when they conquered the city in 1453, and converted into a museum after the foundation of the Turkish republic in 1923.

His visit was followed by a papal mass in the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, which the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics said alongside Bartholomew I, head of the 300 million Orthodox believers worldwide.

At the entrance to the church, Turks and foreigners alike strained to catch a glimpse of the pope as he emerged after the mass. One Argentinian TV assistant director, who came to visit his Turkish girlfriend in Istanbul, said he was surprised and excited about the possibility to see the pope. “This is the first stop for me, I came straight from the airport,” he said.

Garbis Atmaca, 72, an Armenian jeweller from Istanbul, said he had high hopes for the pope’s visit. “It is very good that he came,” Atmaca said. “His visit will have a good impact on the Islamic world. It will help foster understanding and peace.”

The mixed Christian community in Turkey is very small, estimated at about 80,000 in a country of 75 million, and only the few Roman Catholics and Chaldeans regard the pope as their spiritual leader. Atmaca, who belongs to the Gregorian-Armenian church in Istanbul, said that he nevertheless holds the current pontiff in high regard. “He is a very modest man, the best pope we ever had.”

Three Austrian nuns who attended the mass said that they had never seen as much cheering for a pope. “We came to see Pope Benedict eight years ago,” one of them said. “But we have never seen anything like this.”

Francis’s visit comes at a time of extreme hardship for the dwindling Christian communities in the region, especially in neighbouring Syria and Iraq where Islamic State (Isis) militants have captured large swathes of land and persecuted Shia Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and others who do not agree with their radical interpretation of Sunni Islam. Many of those fleeing the violence currently live as refugees in Turkey.

The 77-year-old Argentinian pontiff urged that fundamentalism be fought not through military interventions, but by eradicating poverty, hunger and marginalisation around the world.

“Both [the pope and Bartholomew] are deeply concerned about the brutal treatment and expulsion of Christians from their homes in the region, which has historically been the cradle of Christianity,” John Chryssavgis, theological adviser at the Patriarch of Constantinople, said.

Some fear that increased authoritarianism, nationalism and President Erdogan’s constant focus on Sunni Muslim identity might lead to more pressure on minorities in Turkey, too; others believe the situation has started to improve for Christian minorities during the 12 years of Islamic Justice and Development party government.

“Things are good now, better than before certainly,” Atmaca said. “I think the Islamist rhetoric [of the government] is mostly show.”

Others feel there has been stagnation. “Things will likely not get worse under the AKP,” said Orhan Kemal Cengiz, a human rights lawyer and expert on minority rights. “But they will not get better either. The Christians in Turkey should stand up for their rights and make more demands.”

Speaking at the presidential palace on Saturday, Francis underlined the importance of religious freedom for everyone. “It is essential that all citizens – Muslim, Jewish and Christian – both in the provision and practice of the law, enjoy the same rights and respect the same duties,” he said in a joint press conference with Erdogan.

Later on Saturday, Bartholomew I, with whom the pope shares close personal ties, is to receive Francis at the ecumenical patriarchate.

Source and Original Content by The Guardian

A common declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew on the issues of ecology and poverty would be natural is foreseeable for the future, a theological advisor of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Costantinople told CNA Nov. 28.

“Today, there is no excuse for indifference or inaction. A joint response between Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew can prove both powerful and permanent,” said Fr. John Chrissavgis, who works for the partriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Fr. Chrissavgis spoke on the eve of Pope Francis’ voyage to Turkey, scheduled Nov. 28-30.

During Pope Francis’ Nov. 28-30 trip to Turkey, he will meet with Patriarch Bartholomew for an ecumenical prayer on Saturday night at the Phanar, the Headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul.

According to Fr. Chrissavgis, there are thre three main challenges that both the Papacy and the Ecumenical Patriarchate can face together.

First, both should foster “a sense of humility and repentance for the arrogant suspicion and hostile polemics of the past. We should no longer be tempted by isolationism and fanaticism that characterized relations between the two Churches in previous centuries.”

Second, “we should honestly examine the theological differences that continue to separate us, especially the issue of authority and primacy, as well as infallibility and collegiality. Pope Francis has already demonstrated his willingness and openness to explore the common tradition of the early, undivided Church on these matters.”

And finally – Fr. Chrissavgis maintained – “even as we discuss doctrinal matters, we should not ignore the global problems facing people everywhere, including poverty, war, injustice, and the ecological crisis.”

Pope Francis has proven to be very attentive to ecological matters: he already announced he will issue an encyclical on ecology by the beginning of the next year, and often mentioned the notion of human ecology in his speeches – the last time Nov. 25, speaking in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

“The Pope’s love of the poor and vulnerable in society makes him equally sensitive to the natural environment,” said Fr. Chrissavgis.

On the other hand, Patriarch Bartholomew has “worked tirelessly for the awakening of people’s conscience about climate change. Hence the title that he has been given by journalists: ‘the Green Patriarch.”

Fr. Chrissavgis noted that “it is true that natural and human ecology are inseparably linked. The way we treat people, and especially the poor, is directly reflected in the way we respond to environmental issues; and the way we respect God’s creation is manifested in our attitude toward human beings created in the image of God. Indeed, both visionary leaders can discern this truth.”

“It would be wonderful – and natural – for the Pope and the Patriarch to stand together on this issue and sign a common declaration, just as Patriarch Bartholomew co-signed the Venice Declaration with Pope John Paul II in 2002. I can certainly foresee this happening in the near future.”

Source and Original Content by CNA