Stronger identity

“To counter the strong nationalist pressures, Turkey must continue her course towards a democratic process that admits pluralism and recognises minorities. Only in this way can she show Europe that she’s ready to enter the Union”, says Monsignor LUIGI PADOVESE , expressing the Church’s thought on the Turkish political situation today. Apostolic Vicar for Anatolia since 2004, the 59-year-old Capuchin Father from Milan lives in the city of Iskenderun, in southern Turkey. From there he follows with attention and hope the development of relations between Turkey and the Catholic Church, and also the growing attention that the whole world is dedicating to the Middle-Eastern country. AN IMPORTANT CONSEQUENCE. “Turkey is considered a bridge between the Islamic world and the Christian, or if you prefer Western world – explains Msgr. Padovese – and the events of recent months have aroused an interest that hitherto did not exist: from the assassination of Father Andrea Santoro to the Pope’s journey, from the country’s application to enter the EU to the recent killing of the Armenian journalist Hrant Dink”. “The Holy Father’s visit – he continues – had an important consequence: it changed for the better the way the Turkish people regard the Church. The denigratory campaign against Benedict XVI and the Church, especially launched after the Pope’s lecture in Regensburg, was vicious and had a huge influence on public opinion; people were led to think of a fundamentalist Pope opposed to Turkey’s membership of the EU. Now the image, also transmitted by the press, is different: for some time now the denigratory attacks that previously were a daily event have stopped”. A CONDITIONAL YES. As for the question of Turkey’s entry into the EU, “the position of the bishops, and not only the Catholic bishops – continues Msgr. Padovese – is that of a conditional yes. The European countries have strong economic interests in Turkey and trade relations have been stepped up, but we believe that it is the cultural link that needs in the first place to be kept alive: the question of the secular state and the recognition of the ethnic minorities cannot be pushed into second place”. In effect, the legal recognition of the Catholic Church by the Turkish State still does not exist, though following the papal visit the request for a joint commission – between Church and representatives of the local government – to examine the question has been accepted. “It’s a problem that also concerns the other minorities and confessions – continues Padovese – and the fact that each has followed its own path has influenced this; we have failed to speak with a strong and single voice”. Nor is the problem of secondary importance; it has many repercussions of a practical order: not least the difficulty of knowing how many Christians there are in the country. “Catholics of Latin rite perhaps number around 30,000, Christians altogether around 100,000: but, since we are not recognized, we cannot carry out censuses. In actual fact, we are undoubtedly many more: there’s a significant percentage of those who, for reasons of safety and tranquillity, have chosen not to declare their faith or to declare themselves Muslims. But it’s difficult to believe that the millions of Christians who were living in Turkey in the early twentieth century have been reduced to so few”. Some historic churches can be visited only because they are considered museums: to celebrate occasional masses there, the faithful are obliged to ask for permission, not always granted, and to pay for a ticket to get in. “Even tourism may come to the help of Christians in Turkey”, says Msgr. Padovese. CAUTIOUS ATTITUDE. The “cautious” attitude is not exclusive to many Christians: “The non-nationalist part of the Turks also live in this way. The participation of a huge crowd in the funeral of the murdered Armenian journalist has however made it plain that a large part of the population is fed up with this state of affairs”. One of the dangers that Turkish Islam fears is that of the proselytism of the Church: an accusation that is unfounded, according to Msgr. Padovese. “The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church do not engage in proselytism – he explains -; those who do, on the other hand, are some small Protestant sects, a few hundred people in all. The phenomenon, in short, does not exist: it has been exploited to create a bogeyman and to forge unity between the various nationalist persuasions in the country”. “Turkey – continues Padovese – is a large mosaic in which various tesserae must be restored to their original colours: people need to understand that it is possible to be a good Turk, and a good patriot, even if one is a Christian or of Kurdish or Armenian origin”. The assassination of Father Andrea Santoro, a year ago, on 5 February 2006, “reinforced our identity as Christians. There’s a greater awareness of what it means to be a Christian, and what it involves. And there is far greater attention to the situation of Christians in Turkey, which we would not have had without the death of don Santoro”.