A gang of youths attacked and beat up the Slovene Minorite Father Martin Kmetec Ofmconv at Izmir in Turkey on 9 February. The episode took place just a few days after the tragic death of the Italian priest Father Andrea Santoro, assassinated in the parish church of Trabzon (Trebizond). The attack on the religious was reported by the spokesman of the Slovene bishops, the Rev. Andrei Saje, according to whom “the youths converged on the parish house of St. Helena, in which the Catholic priests live. Once they had entered the building, they attacked the religious, shouting: “We’ll kill you all. We’re Nazis, it’s the end for you”. According to Father Kmetec, the assailants were members of the extreme right-wing nationalist party in Turkey, the Grey Wolves. Father Kmetec reported the incident to the local police, who are now guarding the area of the church and the parish house. On the same day the President of Turkey Ahmet Necdet Sezer addressed an official invitation to Benedict XVI to visit Turkey from 28 to 30 November 2006. The Holy See has already confirmed the date.
