Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-visit-to-turkey-its-political-and-rel

Pope Francis' visit to Turkey: its political and religious dimensions
2014-11-27 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio)  What is the main significance and chief highlights of Pope Francis’s three day pastoral visit to Turkey this week?  And what message is he likely to bring to the Christian and Muslim communities during his time in Ankara and Istanbul?  These were some of the questions Susy Hodges put to Vatican Radio’s correspondent Philippa Hitchen who is travelling with the Pope during his trip.

Listen to the full interview with Philippa Hitchen just before her departure for Turkey:

Philippa explained that Pope Francis is visiting Turkey after receiving invitations both from the Turkish government and from Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church, who asked him to participate in celebrations marking the feast of St. Andrew, founder of the Eastern Church.  She said because of these two separate invitations, the papal visit to Turkey has a two-fold significance.

“There’s a political dimension to it and there’s a religious dimension to it.”

One of the most keenly-awaited moments of the Pope’s visit will be his meeting with Bartholomew I and Philippa pointed out that this encounter comes against the backdrop of a “particularly good friendship” that has been struck up between the two leaders.   

The political dimension to this visit, observed Philippa, comes from the Pope’s meetings with Turkey’s president and prime minister and with the nation’s Department of Religious Affairs which will give him a chance to address a message to “ the wider Muslim world.”  She said Pope Francis is likely to use these meetings with Turkey’s political and Muslim representatives to stress once again his conviction that religion has never be used to justify violence.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/11/25/pope_francis_to_encourage_turkeys_tiny_catholic_church/1112425

Pope Francis to encourage Turkey's tiny Catholic community
25/11/2014 06:20

(Vatican Radio) Breaking another record for papal trips, Pope Francis on Friday sets off on his second international journey this week, travelling to the Turkish cities of Ankara and Istanbul. Just three days after his trip to Strasbourg for meetings with the European Parliament and Council of Europe, the Pope takes off for Turkey at the invitation of both the government there and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the Orthodox world.

Francis is the fourth pope to travel to Turkey, following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, while Archbishop Angelo Roncalli is also remembered with great affection by the Turkish people, as he served as apostolic delegate there for nine years before being elected Pope John XXIII.

But what kind of reception is Pope Francis likely to receive in this country, often described as a bridge between East and West? What preparations have been taking place in a country where Christians number less than 1 percent of the population, divided into different Catholic and Orthodox rites and communities?
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/11/27/statement_of_ecumenical_patriarchate_ahead_of_papal_visit/1112703

Statement of Ecumenical Patriarchate ahead of Papal Visit
27/11/2014 05:44

(Vatican Radio) Ahead of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Voyage, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has issued the following statement:

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of over 300 million Orthodox faithful worldwide, will receive Pope Francis on November 29-30, 2014, at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul.

Pope Francis' visit to Istanbul comes at the personal invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarch on the occasion of the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle, the older brother of Saint Peter. St. Andrew is considered the first-century founder of the Church of Constantinople, the former name for present-day Istanbul. The invitation was originally extended by Patriarch Bartholomew to Pope Francis at the papal inaugural Mass on March 19, 2013. Both prelates are noted throughout the world as peacemakers and bridge-builders of truth and love across religious, cultural and ethnic divides.

"We are eagerly awaiting the visit of our brother, Pope Francis," said Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. "It will be yet another significant step in our positive relations as sister Churches."

On Saturday afternoon, November 29th, Pope Francis will arrive at the Phanar and be received by His All-Holiness in order to participate in a Doxology of peace and thanksgiving at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George. The prayer service will be followed by a private meeting between the two Church leaders. Prior to this event, His All-Holiness will attend Mass at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul.

On Sunday morning, November 30th, Pope Francis will attend the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral, where both prelates will deliver official addresses, exchange the kiss of peace and together bless the faithful. After the Divine Liturgy, a joint declaration will be signed and the Patriarch will host a luncheon for the Pope at the Patriarchate.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/holy-fathers-calendar-for-december-2014-and-januar

Holy Father's calendar for December 2014 and January 2015

Vatican City, 27 November 2014 (VIS) – The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has published the following calendar of liturgical celebrations at which the Holy Father will preside in December 2014 and January 2015:

DECEMBER
Monday 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At 4 p.m. in Piazza di Spagna, veneration of the image of Mary Immaculate.

Friday 12: Feast of Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. At 6 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Holy Mass for Latin America.

Sunday 14: “Gaudete Sunday” Third of Advent. At 4 p.m., pastoral visit to the Roman Parish of “San Giuseppe all'Aurelio”.

Wednesday 24: Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. At 9.30 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Holy Mass.

Thursday 25: Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. Central loggia of the Vatican Basilica, at 12 p.m., “Urbi et Orbi” blessing.

Wednesday 31: Solemnity of Mary Most Holy, Mother of God. At 5 p.m. First Vespers and Te Deum, in Thanksgiving for the past year.

JANUARY
 

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http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2014/11/26/turkish-muslim-leader-says-popes-visit-is-loud-call-for-peace/

Turkish Muslim leader says pope’s visit is a ‘loud call for peace’
November 26, 2014

ISTANBUL — Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Turkey is considered among the biggest challenges of his papacy, but for the Muslim leader who once welcomed his predecessor, Benedict XVI, it’s a clear sign of the pope’s interest in the Islamic world and a loud call for peace.

“We’re experiencing difficulties in the Islamic world as result of the violence of some specific groups, and there are some in Islam who reject everything that comes from the West,” said Mustafa Cagrici, who was the mufti of Istanbul in 2006 when Benedict visited the country.

“Symbolically, it’s an important gesture of peace that the pope is coming to, and being welcomed by, an Islamic country,” Cagrici said.

Pope Francis will visit Turkey Nov. 28-30, the sixth foreign trip of his papacy. Francis will be the third pope in a row, after John Paul II and Benedict, to visit Turkey.

Although the formal reason behind the papal trip is to strengthen the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, for Cagrici the trip also means that a long-term connection has been established between the Vatican and the Turkish Muslim community.

“The fact that Pope Francis is coming so soon after Benedict XVI came is an important sign of commitment,” he said. “Turkey is the most democratic country in the Islamic world, and a fluent relationship with Europe is a very good thing.”

The former head of religious affairs for Istanbul, a respected figure among the Turks, Cagrici made global news in 2006 because he was the person in charge of welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the “Blue Mosque.”

During the visit, Benedict and Cagrici shared a moment of prayer facing Mecca.

“That moment,” he told Crux, “was particularly significant because it was requested by Benedict.”
 
In preparation for the visit, the Islamic leader had asked the pontiff if he had any specific request for the encounter, and his only request was a moment in silent prayer.

At the time, Turkish media considered the gesture as a symbolic apology from Pope Benedict, who months before had generated controversy for quoting a Byzantine emperor who linked Muhammad, the founder of Islam, with violence. Benedict cited the quotation during a speech in Regensburg, Germany.

According to Cagrici, an apology wasn’t needed because “in Regensburg, Benedict wasn’t giving an opinion, he was simply stating historical facts.”

“Benedict did a lot during the visit, but also before and after in his papacy, to build bridges with the Islamic world,” he said.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/11/28/pope_francis_in_turkey_day_1_highlights/1112836

Pope Francis in Turkey: Day 1 highlights
28/11/2014 07:19



(Vatican Radio) On the first day of his apostolic trip to Turkey, Pope Francis said religious leaders “are obliged” to denounce violence in the name of religion. He also appealed for more international assistance for the thousands of refugees from nearby Iraq and Syria, who have taken refuge in Turkey.

Upon arriving in Ankara on Friday afternoon, the Pope stopped at a mausoleum, where the remains of Turkey’s founder are buried—part of protocol for all visiting heads of state—before visiting with President Recep Tayip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace and with the head of the country’s Department of Religious Affairs, Mehmet Gormez.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-may-turkey-have-peace-coexistence-dig

Pope Francis: May Turkey have peace, coexistence, dignity
2014-11-28 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Shortly after his arrival in Ankara Friday for a three day pastoral visit to Turkey, Pope Francis visited the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the modern-day Republic of Turkey.

The Pope was greeted by the Commander of the Guards, laid a wreath of flowers and paused for a few moments of silence.  Pope Francis was then accompanied to the Tower of “National Pact” at the entry to the Anitkabir Atatürk Museum which exhibits the founder of the Turkish Republic's personal items, wardrobe, and a number of the gifts presented to him.  There, the Holy Father signed The “Gold Book”, with the following inscription:

"May the Almighty grant peace and prosperity to the dear Turkish people, with the wish that the entire Country may increasingly become a place of peaceful coexistence between cultures and civilizations, 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-condemns-barbaric-violence-by-fundame

Pope Francis condemns “barbaric” violence by fundamentalists against minorities
2014-11-28 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio)  Speaking on the first day of his visit to Turkey, Pope Francis condemned the “barbaric violence” waged by fundamentalists in Iraq and Syria against entire communities, especially Christians and Yazidis, because of their ethnic and religious identity.  His remarks came in a speech to Turkey’s Department for Religious Affairs which is the nation’s highest Islamic authority.  As religious leaders, Pope Francis said, we are obliged to denounce all violations against human dignity and human life and “any violence which seeks religious justification warrants the strongest condemnation.”

Please find below the English translation of the full text of Pope Francis’ speech to the Department for Religious Affairs:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-interreligious-dialogue-can-help-end

Pope Francis: Interreligious dialogue can help end forms of fundamentalism
2014-11-28 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis has urged more interreligious dialogue to help bring peace and end all forms of "fundamentalism,terrorism and irrational fears." His appeal came in a speech to Turkey’s President Erdogan and other top political leaders on the first day of his pastoral visit to the cities of Ankara and Istanbul.  In his discourse, the Pope also stressed the importance of religious freedom, respect for human dignity and said we must never "resign ourselves" to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. He spoke of his concern over the conflicts in Iraq and Syria along with the "grave persecution" of minorities there and praised Turkey’s "generous" response in welcoming a large number of refugees from these regional conflicts.

Please find below an English translation of the full text of Pope Francis’ address to President Erdogan and other Turkish political leaders:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/11/28/popes_gift_to_turkish_president_/1112737

Pope's gift to Turkish President
28/11/2014 11:08



(Vatican Radio) As is customary during every apostolic journey, an exchange of gifts takes place between the Pope and the President – or leader - of the host country.

During Pope’s Francis’ meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, straight after the welcome ceremony on Friday morning, the Pope presented the President with a mosaic depicting the “View of Castel  Sant’Angelo”.

The mosaic was especially created for the occasion by the mosaicists of the Vatican Mosaic Studio this year.  Polychrome enamels were used, applied with oily stucco on a metallic base. The stucco is of the same formula as that utilized in past centuries to apply the mosaics in St. Peter’s Basilica.
 

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YouTube videos of events on Friday, November 28, 2014, Tweets
Also, you will fine other video selections on the right side of the YouTube pages
https://twitter.com/FatherRosica

Thomas Rosica @FatherRosica 
  ·  8h 8 hours ago   
.@Pontifex is 1st formal visitor to Presidential Palace in Turkey. Watch live:  http://goo.gl/P2gJVF  #PopeinTurkey

Thomas Rosica @FatherRosica 
  ·  9h 9 hours ago   
First stop: @Pontifex visits Kemal Atatürk Memorial http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An%C4%B1tkabir … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F-a6OynBMk …

Thomas Rosica retweeted 
Vatican - news @news_va_en 
  ·  10h 10 hours ago   
Pope Francis in Turkey - Visit to the Atatürk Mausoleum - 2014.11.28: http://youtu.be/1F-a6OynBMk  via @YouTube

Thomas Rosica retweeted 
Vatican - news @news_va_en 
  ·  10h 10 hours ago   
Pope Francis' arrival in Turkey - 2014.11.28: http://youtu.be/gWEy02IMx1A  via @YouTube

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http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1404959.htm

Nov-28-2014
Pope, Turkish leaders trade concerns about religious discrimination

ANKARA, Turkey (CNS) -- Interreligious dialogue dominated Pope Francis' first day in Turkey, with the pope and Turkish leaders frankly stating their concerns, respectively, about discrimination against Christians in the Middle East and against Muslims in the West.

"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," the pope said Nov. 28 in a speech to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials at the presidential palace.

"Freedom of religion and freedom of expression, when truly guaranteed to each person, will help friendship to flourish and thus become an eloquent sign of peace," the pope said, adding that commitment to such freedoms is essential to countering "fanaticism and fundamentalism, as well as irrational fears which foster misunderstanding and discrimination."

Turkey's secularist constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but Pope Francis' call for equality "both in the provision and practice of the law" seemed to allude to persistent de facto discrimination against non-Muslims. Members of the country's minuscule Christian community -- less than 0.2 percent of a total of 76 million -- are still commonly regarded as foreigners by the Muslim-majority population, and authorities have kept the country's only Greek Orthodox seminary closed since 1971.

Speaking prior to the pope, Erdogan raised the issue of prejudice and intolerance against Muslims in other countries, stating that "Islamophobia is a serious and rapidly rising problem in the West" and lamenting that "attempts to identify Islam with terrorism hurt millions."

The pope heard similar complaints later in the afternoon during a visit to Turkey's Presidency of Religious Affairs, called the Diyanet, a large and well-funded government agency that oversees Muslim worship and Muslim education in the country.
 

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Pictures of the gifts at the link

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/pope-francis-receives-ottoman-gifts-in-turkey.aspx?PageID=238&NID=74984&NewsCatID=510

Pope Francis receives 'Ottoman gifts' in Turkey
November/28/2014

Turkish authorities presented two Ottoman-themed gifts to Pope Francis during the first day of the pontiff's historic visit to Turkey.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally presented his first gift, an edict of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, to Pope Francis on Nov. 28 in Ankara. Erdoğan explained that the edict was issued by the Ottoman state to protect the religious rights of the Christian clerics in Bosnia in the 15th century.

His second gift was a two-volume Turkish-German dictionary for Islamic and Christian terms, published by Ankara University. Pope Francis, an Argentinian, speaks fluent Italian, as well as Spanish and German.
 
Mehmet Görmez, the head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), on the other hand, gave Pope Francis copies of the letters written by Pope Pius X to Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II in the early 20th century.

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-authorizes-plenary-indulgence-for-year-of-consecrated-life-32185/

Pope authorizes plenary indulgence for Year of Consecrated Life

Vatican City, Nov 28, 2014 / 03:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- On the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life that begins this weekend, Pope Francis has allowed the faithful to receive plenary indulgences, under the normal conditions.

“The Holy Father, on the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life, will concede plenary indulgences, with the customary conditions, to all members of the institutes of consecrated life and other truly repentant faithful moved by a spirit of charity,” a Nov. 28 statement from the Vatican read.

Called by Pope Francis last fall, the Year for Consecrated will begin the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 30, and will be preceded by a prayer vigil the night before.

The opportunity to receive plenary indulgences will run through the close of the year, Feb. 2, 2016. The indulgence may also be offered for souls in Purgatory.
 

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Video at the link

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/28/patti-smith-o-holy-night_n_6200736.html?&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000055

Patti Smith's 'O Holy Night' Performed At 2013 Vatican Christmas Concert Is The Only Carol You Need
Posted:  11/28/2014 8:08 am EST    Updated:  11/28/2014 3:59 pm EST

Patti Smith managed to make one of the most beloved Christmas hymns all the more exquisite with her gorgeous rendition of 'O Holy Night' at the 2013 Vatican concert. It's little wonder Pope Francis invited the singer back to perform again at this year's show.

With the Vatican orchestra playing back up, Smith's voice resonated throughout the Conciliation Auditorium in Rome, where the 2014 concert will also take place on Dec. 13. The carol's lyrics -- "Led by the light of faith serenely beaming" -- stand out in the wake of Smith's recent interview with HuffPost Religion senior editor Paul Raushenbush, during which the artist discussed her personal relationship with faith:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-in-turkey-day-2-morning-highlights

Pope Francis in Turkey: Day 2 morning highlights
2014-11-29 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis arrived in Istanbul on Saturday, the second day of his apostolic trip to Turkey. A slight change in the morning’s events meant that, instead of starting at the famed Hagia Sofia, he began with a visit to one of Istanbul’s most important mosques, the Sultan Ahmet, also known as the “Blue Mosque.”

He then received a guided visit of the Hagia Sofia, a former basilica, which had been converted into a mosque in the 15th century and is now a museum. Prior to lunch, the Pope joined members of the local Catholic community in the garden of the Pontifical Delegation to Istanbul, where he also met the president of Turkey’s Catholic episcopal conference, Bishop Ruggero Franceschini, OFM Cap.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-visits-the-blue-mosque-and-the-museum

Pope Francis visits the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia



Vatican City, 29 November 2014 (VIS) – This morning, Pope Francis travelled by air from Ankara to Istanbul. The only city in the world divided across two continents, Asia and Europe, it is situated on the banks of the Bosphorus, the river that connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean. Upon arrival he was welcomed by the Governor of Istanbul and by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomaios I, and then transferred by car to the Blue Mosque, or the Mosque of the Sultan Ahmed.

Built between 1609 and 1917 by Ahmed I on what had been the site of the great palace of Constantinople, the mosque became the most important place of worship of the Ottoman Empire. The name “Blue Mosque” derives from the 21,043 turquoise ceramic tiles adorning the walls and the dome. The ceramics used to cover the walls, columns and arches originated from Iznik in ancient Nicaea, and range in colour from deep blue to green. Benedict XVI visited the mosque during his trip to Turkey in 2006. Pope Francis was received by the Grand Mufti and remained a moment in silent prayer.

The Holy Father then proceeded to the Museum of Hagia Sophia, the basilica dedicated to Divine Wisdom, first built in the year 360 by the emperor Constantine on a site previously occupied by pagan temples. It was later destroyed by two fires, one in 404 and another in 532, and the emperor Justinian undertook its reconstruction in order to make it into “the most sumptuous work since the time of Creation”, ordering all the provinces of the empire to provide their best marble and most prized materials. Hagia Sophia was inaugurated for the third time in 537. During the conquest of Constantinople in 1204, it was despoiled of its richest adornments by Latin Christians and in 1453, when it fell into the hands of the Ottomans, Mehmet II ordered it to be transformed into the first imperial mosque of Istanbul. During the subsequent three centuries, this Muslim place of worship received splendid gifts from various sultans, until the eighteenth century, when the mosaics were covered with plaster. In 1847 the Sultan Abdulmegid engaged the Swiss architects Gaspare and Giuseppe Fossati to uncover the mosaics and restore the building. In 1935, at the behest of Ataturk, Hagia Sophia became a museum, which it remains to this day. Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI all visited it during their trips to Turkey.

Pope Francis was received at the Imperial Door by the director of the Museum, who accompanied him on a guided tour lasting around half an hour. The Holy Father signed the guest book of Hagia Sophia, first in Greek with the phrase Αγία Σοφία του Θεού (Holy Wisdom of God) and then in Latin: “Quam dilecta tabernacula tua Domine (Psalm 38).
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-in-turkey-day-2

Pope Francis in Turkey: Day 2
2014-11-29 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on the second day of his Apostolic visit to Turkey on Saturday evening participated at an Ecumenical prayer service with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew the 1st  at the Patriarchal Church of St George in Istanbul. Follow the service they held a private meeting. Earlier in the afternoon the Holy Father celebrated Mass in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in the city where he urged Christians to throw off their defensiveness, and move away from their comfort zone and be led by the Holy Spirit.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-throw-off-our-defensiveness-and-be-led-by-the

Pope: Throw off our defensiveness and be led by the Spirit
2014-11-29 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Saturday at Istanbul’s Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and in his homily reflected on the need for Christians to be guided by the Holy Spirit who is able to kindle diversity, multiplicity and, at the same time, bring about unity.  He warned that the temptation is always within us to resist the Holy Spirit because he takes us out of our comfort zone and unsettles us.  We must throw off our defensiveness, the Pope said, not remain entrenched within our ideas and unchanging ways and allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit.

Please see below an English translation of the full text of Pope Francis’ homily:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-ecumenical-prayer-with-patriarch-bart

Pope Francis: ecumenical prayer with Patriarch Bartholomew
2014-11-29 Vatican Radio



Vatican Radio) Pope Francis participated in an ecumenical prayer service on Saturday evening with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I. Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis' remarks on the occasion.
******************************************
Your Holiness, my dear Brother,