ANKARA (TURCHIA) (ITALPRESS) – “May Turkey be a factor of stability and approach among peoples, at the service of just and lasting peace”. It is the hope expressed by Pope Leo XIV, during his visit to the Mausoleum of Ataturk, in Ankara, before numerous authorities, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “
The visit to Turkey of four Popes – Paul VI in 1967, John Paul II in 1979, Benedict XVI in 2006 and Francis in 2014 – attests that the Holy See not only maintains good relations with the Republic of Turkey, but wishes to cooperate in building a better world with the contribution of this country, which constitutes a bridge between East and West, between Asia and Europe, and a crossroads of cultures and religions – the Pontiff emphasized. The very occasion of this journey, the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, speaks to us of encounter and dialogue, as well as the fact that the first eight Ecumenical Councils were held in the lands of present-day Turkey. Today more than ever, there is a need for personality that encourage dialogue and practice it with firm will and tenacity patient. After the season of the construction of the great international organizations, followed by the tragedies of the two world wars, we are going through a highly conflicting phase globally, in which prevail strategies of economic and military power, feeding what Pope Francis called “third world war apart”. You must not give in any way to this drift! It goes with the future of humanity. Because the energies and resources absorbed by this destructive dynamic are subtracted from the real challenges that the human family today should face together, that is, peace, fight against hunger and poverty, health and education and safeguarding creation.”.
“The Holy See, with its only strength, which is the spiritual and moral one, wishes to cooperate with all nations that have at heart the integral development of every man and of all men and women. Let us walk together, then, in truth and friendship, humbly trusting in God’s help,” he said. For Leo XIV, Turkey “has an important place in the present and future of the Mediterranean and the whole world, first of all enhancing your internal diversity.” “Justice and mercy challenge the law of force and dare to ask that compassion and solidarity be considered development criteria. For this reason, in a society like the Turkish one, where religion has a visible role, it is essential to honor the dignity and freedom of all the children of God – he added -: men and women, compatriots and foreigners, poor and rich. We are all children of God and this has personal, social and political consequences. Whoever has a docile heart to the will of God will always promote the common good and respect for all. Today this is a great challenge, which must reshape local policies and international relations, especially in the face of a technological evolution that could otherwise accentuate injustice, instead of helping to dissolve them. Even the artificial intelligences, in fact, reproduce our preferences and accelerate the processes that, to see, are not the machines, but humanity has undertaken. We therefore work together to change the trajectory of development and to repair the damage already infert to the unity of the human family.”.
ERDOGAN “VISITA LEONE XIV IN MOMENTO CRITICO”
Pope Leo XIV’s visit “coincides with an extremely critical moment in the context of regional and global events”. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said this in the margin of the meeting with the pontiff in Ankara, as the Anadolu press agency reports. “Intolerance generates conflicts, and conflicts generate division and hatred. The growing islamophobia and xenophobia in the West is a manifestation of this vicious circle,” Erdogan added, saying that “this visit is a crucial step that strengthens our common ground.”.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
