An exemplary heritage

On Sunday June 5, the solemnity of the Ascension, the Catholic Church of Turkey gathered in Iskenderun to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Msgr. Luigi Padovese, Apostolic vicar of Anatolia, killed on June 3 2010 by his driver Murat Altun. The solemn celebration was co-officiated – to the presence of representatives of the Capuchin order, from the diocese of Milan and Vatican Congregations – by the apostolic nuncio Msgr. Antonio Lucibello and by the president of the Turkish Bishops’ Conference Msgr. Ruggero Franceschini, who holds the post of Msgr. Padovese on a pro-tempore basis, until the Holy See appoints his successor. It was the keynote event in the framework of a series of initiatives aimed at celebrating the memory of the Capuchin religious, who felt closely bound to Turkey, to its people, who was heartedly engaged in interreligious dialogue that he sought to implement across his entire pastoral service. During and after the Pauline Year (2008-2009) Msgr. Padovese did his utmost to obtain from the Turkish authorities the restitution of St.Paul’s Church-Museum in Tarsus as a permanent place of worship. His desire has not yet come true. Msgr. Franceschini, what is the meaning of this celebration? “On Sunday, the Ascension of the Lord, we recalled the fraternity existing between mankind, as sons of the One and Only God. I greeted the Orthodox brothers and the many Muslims that were attending the ceremony, as they were equally deeply saddened by this horrible crime. Msgr. Padovese helped and loved the local population. But you can’t talk about fraternity if you don’t put it into practice, nor can there be cooperation if it isn’t implemented. In Iskenderun we recalled his service to the human person, notably the needy, his engagement for a possible dialogue, for solidarity. Msgr. Padovese prompted the building of water systems in schools, and in towns. In recalling his pastoral commitment we refrained from making theological remarks. Rather, we recalled his concrete proposals that he lived bearing witness to his faith until his last days of life”.The heritage of Msgr. Padovese, to this regard, is exemplary… “The example of Msgr. Padovese enables us to speak of fraternity in a concrete, open, and authentic manner that crosses the borders of Catholicism. Each one of us has made a religious choice, but in the many places we share we have to live devoting special attention especially to the poor. We are witnessing the turbulences across the entire Middle East, and it’s not by chance. Perhaps the situation is determined by a lack of attention to the poor and by the ongoing crisis in the economy and in our ideals. We must give a voice to those whose claims haven’t been voiced for the past 40 years. We experience a dramatic historical moment whereby people who lived side by side realised that one had a full wallet while his neighbour’s was empty. Who could have imagined that Egypt, Syria, were experiencing such problems?… Indeed, those who visited those Countries for tourism or for pilgrimages, realized that there was something wrong”. Are there news about the trial of the responsible of the murder, Murat Altun?“The preliminary inquiry on the murder of Msgr. Padovese was closed a few days ago and the trial is due to begin soon. And in my opinion it concluded positively (on June 3rd the Turkish press made known that Murat Altun was declared in good mental health by the medical Commission in Istanbul set up by the Public Prosecutor’s office, which thus rejected the report by Adana’s psychiatric hospital, ed.’s note). We suffered, ran risks, we vigorously distanced ourselves from predictable and compromise positions on the crime – we fought and now it looks like we are being proved right. I’m not calling for death sentence or torture, far from it! I mean to say that we must be respectful of every person, all the more so in the case of those who were the victims of a horrible massacre. On this, perhaps, the Islamic world will finally give us a lesson. The responsible authorities have worked very hard on this case and probably they have reached an obvious conclusion, which no one had previously imagined. Easier theories were followed. When there is the feeling that a mistake was made, that the person that was killed was right, we must avoid jumping to conclusions. I could not bear false statements on Msgr. Padovese”.When will the successor of Msgr. Padovese be appointed? “I hope that the recurrence of the first anniversary of the death of Msgr. Padovese will serve to give new impetus to the appointment of his successor. Christian and Catholic communities in Turkey, although they are small minority groups, are thriving, happy and bravely bearing witness to their faith. It’s important for us ‘to be there’ since Christians were born in this land. We mustn’t forget it!”.