Go East, Wise Man

Just over a month after his controversial speech at Regensburg University—on “Faith and Reason”—that enraged the Muslim world, Pope Benedict XVI landed in Ankara yesterday for an equally controversial trip to the largest Muslim “democracy” in the world, Turkey. Set amidst the threats against the Pope’s life and protests in Istanbul 20,000 strong, we must see this trip for what it is: a courageous act of faith that aims to rebuild both political and religious bridges with Islam.

For many centuries, Roman pontiffs attempted to blend spiritual and temporal power into a single figure. The Pope was, then, not only the highest spiritual authority in Christianity, but also a monarch with absolute power over earthly affairs. Although often well-intentioned, this dual ambition led to repeated abuses like political excommunications and the selling of indulgences to adjust the Papal budget balance.

But after the European Enlightenment, the Protestant Reformation, and subsequent political secularization, we find a radically different Church these days. Once known as a dogmatic “rottweiler” while he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, Benedict XVI is a changed man. And for the better. He seems to have adopted the best aspects of John Paul II’s revolutionary ecumenism and unheralded political subtlety. The trip to Turkey is a prime example of such policies.

In short, ecumenism is about finding common ground with other variants of Christianity and even Abrahamic religions such as Judaism and Islam and trying to use faith as a force of union rather than separation. Granted, this is ambitious, but then again, religious leaders are in the business of the impossible.

Thankfully, this ecumenism is not limited to a strictly religious arena, for politics ought to go hand in hand with spiritual dialogue. Though the Vatican has adamantly claimed that this trip had no political overtones, the mildly Islamic government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan desperately needs a political hand for Turkey’s bid to enter the European Union. And true enough, Benedict landed at the political heart of the Turkish Republic, Ankara, before going to Istanbul today. Turkey can only benefit from the Pope’s visit.

On a spiritual level, many Muslim leaders have welcomed the courageous trip and condemned the rumored attempts on the Pontiff’s life. That action echoes the Pope’s important words in Ankara yesterday, claiming that Islam can indeed be a religion of peace. Moreover, it also brings Rome closer to Orthodox Christianity, as respected Patriarch Bartholomew I still resides in Istanbul, where he will receive Benedict today.

On a political level, the Pope’s trip might help Erdogan’s government escape the deadlocked European Union accession talks on issues like Cyprus. More importantly, it might achieve the ecumenical ideal of inter-civilizational dialogue in the ever-burning Middle East. This trip is more important than it seems. The Pope is stepping outside of his comfort zone, and this is definitely commendable. Our post-9/11 world can only benefit from an embrace of ecumenism. This leap of faith will help dialogue on spiritual, and also political, grounds.



Pierpaolo Barbieri ’09, a Crimson editorial editor, is a history concentrator in Eliot House.