The day that unites

The next will be the first Christmas after the Pauline Year. The Catholic community in Turkey, less than 40 thousand faithful across the country, will experience Christmas “with renewed vigour and courage, owing to the presence of thousands of pilgrims that retraced the footsteps of the apostle Paul. And even though the flow of pilgrims has decreased, their presence is ongoing in this period of the year”. The apostolic vicar of Anatolia, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Turkey, Msgr. Luigi Padovese, told SIR Europe how Catholics in the Country are preparing for the forthcoming Christmas. “We don’t have special traditions, only those that we share and that bind us to the Universal Church that we have always felt close to – the prelate said – especially after having celebrated the Jubilee of Saint Paul”.As relates to the Pauline Year, there was much talk of the restitution of the church of Tarsus, which currently hosts a museum. When will it be restored to Catholic worship? “Just a few days ago I happened to call the counsellor of the Minister of Tourism and Culture but received no confirmation of the news of the upcoming concession of the Church visited by so many pilgrims, as reported by the local press. At official level, no steps forward have been made. I know that to this regard, there has been interest on the part of the Turkish embassy to the Holy See and on the part of the industrialists of Mersin, a large centre near Tarsus, which are lobbying for the concession for financial purposes. We are awaiting the green light from the institutions. Small steps forward have been made. Indeed, in a few months the Syro-Catholic church in Iskenderun will be inaugurated. The Church was finally restored to its original status, having become a sex cinema-theatre. However, we are in a stand-by situation as relates to Tarsus”. Small signs that raise hopes for a better future for minorities in Turkey and that could bring this Country close to Europe…“I think the priority in Turkey is to create a climate of true religious freedom, and not only in view of EU membership. The problem is the maturity inside the country, for the good of its population. On the occasion of the referendum on the minarets in Switzerland, a large part of Turkish press analyzed whether Christians enjoy the same rights as other faithful in this Country. I consider this a positive signal, it’s an important question”.How do you expect the first Christmas after the Pauline Year will be? “The Pauline Year opened the way to Turkey paving the path into areas that were previously excluded from the traditional tourist and pilgrim routes. This Jubilee has brought a large number of pilgrims and will continue to do so. Remarkably, this circumstance has given greater visibility to the Christian community in Turkey, which, as I said, is formed by Turkish citizens that enjoy the same rights as the rest of the population. Occasions such as Christmas help dissipate the idea that a Turkish citizen can only be Muslim. For this reason we will live Christmas celebrations with renewed vigour and courage”.Catholics and Christians together, in the same day? “Yes. Also Orthodox Christian communities have established that Christmas be celebrated December 25. This phenomenon of osmosis enables us to share – albeit with different rites – the same celebrations. But another fact is perhaps even more significant…”.Which?“On Christmas day many Muslims come to us to share our joy and our feast. It’s the moment when churches across Turkey are attended by large numbers of Christian faithful and their Muslim brothers. This has a deep symbolic meaning, marking a moment of close sharing and integration. Christ is a grace for all, for those who profess him as a prophet and for those like us who profess him as the Son of God and Saviour of the world. It is a common feast, the feast of God that loves all men”.