By IPS Correspondents
ISTANBUL, Sep 17 2006 (IPS)

In another attempt to mollify the Islamic world following apologies from the Vatican earlier, Pope Benedict XVI personally intervened during his Angelus, the traditional Sunday noon blessing, to reject any anti-Islam sentiment, and appeal for dialogue.

The damage control may appear to succeed, but questions remain whether the damage is more serious than conceded. And, while interventions were not too late (this was the first by the Pope, but third by the Vatican in less than a week), some may still consider it too little.

Reading from a prepared text at his heavily guarded Papal palace in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, the Pontiff declared he was only quoting from a medieval text during his lecture, and that its contents seen as offensive by Muslims did not reflect his views.

In his controversial lecture at the University of Regensburg in Germany earlier this week, the Pope quoted 14th century Emperor Manuel II Paleologos of the Orthodox Christian Byzantine Empire as saying: “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

The Pope used the expression “I quote” twice before the phrases on Islam. He also described the phrases as “brusque”, without explicitly condoning or condemning them.

Veteran Vatican analyst Giancarlo Zizola called it all “an accident” while commenting on the controversy on Italian television Sunday. He attributed it to the Pope’s background more as a theologian than a statesman attuned to political sensitivities.

But in the Muslim world it caused an uproar marked by widespread denunciations, demonstrations, attacks on some churches and threats to attack the Vatican. The Italian Interior Ministry increased the nationwide security alert Sunday.

The controversy has also soured – if not compromised – the Pontiff’s trip to Muslim Turkey due in November.

Muslim leaders, including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are demanding that the Pontiff issue a formal personal apology. Statements by the Vatican Press Office and later by the Holy See’s new Secretary of State (Prime Minister) Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone were seen as unsatisfactory.

The Pope made no formal apology, but said: “…I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims.

“I hope this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with mutual respect..”

How this personal plea may have placated public opinion in the Muslim world has yet to be seen, despite several public declarations calling for acceptance of the Vatican apology so as to calm the crisis before it causes further damage.

Erdogan had said earlier he was not sure whether the Pope visit would go ahead. He described the Pope’s lecture as “ugly and unfortunate” and as against “inter-religious peace”.

If the Turkish visit proceeds, the Pope is likely to find a reserved reception confined to officialdom. There may be objections from the public to any plans to visit a mosque. His predecessor John Paul II was welcomed as the first Pope to enter a mosque in Syria in 2001.

Officially, Pope Benedict XVI will be coming to Turkey as ‘President’ of the Vatican City State, rather than the supreme head of more than a billion Roman Catholics. The main religious significance of his trip to Turkey would be a meeting with the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Istanbul.

There too there are pitfalls: it could be controversial if he kneels and prays during a possible visit to the Santa Sophia, once the main church of the Eastern Christian Empire, later a mosque, and now an imposing museum.

The Pope would face criticism if he calls the head of the Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Church “ecumenical”, meaning the head of all 200 million Greek Orthodox Christians worldwide. Turkey considers him head of the Greek Church in Turkey.

Besides, Turks have a particular dislike for the current Pope. As a conservative cardinal before succeeding John Paul II, he has spoken against Muslim Turkey’s entry into the European Union, citing cultural differences.

His perceived views on Islam, both in Turkey and the Islamic world at large, are subject to harsh attacks. Turkey’s religious affairs director Ali Bayrakoglu told national television that the Pope has a Crusader mentality and that his remarks “reflect the hatred in his heart.”

The perceived views of the Pontiff are seen in sharp contrast to a more conciliatory approach begun by Pope John XXIII in the 1960s, carried on by Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II, and culminating in John Paul II asking for “pardon” for excessive militancy by the Church, including the Crusades.

*The author is a former Vatican correspondent.

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