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Church in the WorldVatican downplays Turkey PM?s absenceVatican 11 November 2006In the run-up to the Pope's visit later this month to Turkey, the Vatican has downplayed confirmation that Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will be attending a NATO meeting in Latvia and will not meet Benedict XVI. The director of the Holy See press office, Fr Federico Lombardi SJ, said that Vatican officials had long been aware of the Turkish leader's prior commitment and said his absence was in no way to be considered a snub to the Pope. The press director also downplayed reports that a young Muslim Turk last week fired gunshots outside Italy's embassy in Ankara allegedly to protest at the visit. Pope Benedict's 28 November to 1 December visit was officially planned to help bolster links with the Orthodox Church by a visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in Istanbul. But after a speech in September that angered many Muslims, the Pope has been under pressure to focus the visit on Christian-Muslim relations. The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone SDB, this week asked Catholics in Italy to pray for the Pope during this "delicate pastoral visit". It could become even more delicate. Benedict XVI was scheduled to hold a 10 November meeting at the Vatican with President Tassos Papadopoulos of Cyprus - a country whose independence Turkey refuses to recognise. |
 In this week’s issueMaking markets moral Iron and velvet Love in a Catholic climate Someone to talk to A good Lent takes planning South American surprise Can the Church support abuse victims on its own terms? Elena Curti Is the Church too slow in recognising that academies are the future for Catholic schools? Christopher Lamb Goodwin the scapegoat Elena Curti The pain of being a coeliac Catholic Sr M, guest contributor The Church's moral obligation to victims of clerical sexual abuse Speeches from this week's conference in Rome This week in Rome bishops and religious superiors met at the first Vatican-backed symposium devoted to forging a global response to the crisis of clerical sexual abuse that has disgraced ... Archbishop voices 'shame and sorrow' after priest's abuse trial Longley to visit parishes 'damaged' by Walsh Today, Tuesday 7 February, Bede Walsh, who served as a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, has been convicted by a jury, following a 10-day trial at Stoke-on-Trent ...
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