“Dialogue and mutual acquaintance”, these are for mgr. Antonio Lucibello, archbishop and apostolic nuncio to Turkey and Turkmenistan, the answers to the “tense climate” that is in the air, in many countries, after the publication of the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that led to the murder of father Andrea Santoro in Turkey on March 5th. “Yesterday he said to Sir there’s was a march in Istanbul to ask to boycott Italian goods, while a few days ago there was an assault to the Armenian church of Saint Gregory the Enlightener in Kaiseri, also because of the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad”. As reported to the Armenian patriarchate, “unidentified people fired at the church, which was put under police protection”. Mesrob II, the Armenian patriarch of Istanbul and all Turkey, censured the use of violence against Christians places of worship and recognised the right of Muslims to protest peacefully against the offence of the cartoons. “We must not fuel this climate of tension said the Nuncio , we must ease tension and avoid showing scenes of extremism on the mass media. Don’t let’s give the extremists that media coverage they are looking for. The Turkish authorities and sensible people, who are many here in Turkey, certainly did not see father Santoro’s murder coming. The Church goes on with its mission of dialogue and contact, we cannot back out. As I met the Mayor of Istanbul, I told him that such episodes as father Santoro’s murder only strengthen the Church’s will to dialogue with the other religions. We still believe in dialogue and mutual acquaintance”.
