"May the Pope’s journey to Turkey boost inter-religious and intercultural dialogue": this is the wish expressed today by the MEPs in Strasbourg. By passing the Camiel Eurlings report with 429 votes for, 71 against and 125 abstentions, Parliament highlighted that the strengthening of the bonds between Turkey and the European Union "is of crucial importance for the EU, for Turkey and for the whole region", but also criticised the slowdown of reforms in Turkey. In particular, the MEPs censure the lack of progress in freedom of religion and renew their invitation to the Turkish authorities to make concrete steps in favour of religious minorities. Then, in strongly condemning the killing of father Andrea Santoro, the report urges to protect the fundamental rights of all minorities and Christian communities in Turkey. Parliament then expressed the wish that the Pope’s next visit to Turkey "may boost inter-religious and intercultural dialogue between the Christian world and the Muslim world" and asked "that religious education be voluntary for everyone and that this should not only apply to the Sunni religion, and that those people who do not want to make use of such religious education be given an alternative education, dealing with ethical values, rules and issues".
