Pope Benedict XVI is likely to become the second pope to visit a mosque – his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, visited a mosque in Damascus in 2001. The visit is seen as an attempt to reconcile with the Muslim world, following Benedict XVI’s controversial comments against Islam in September.
The pope is scheduled to arrive in Turkey on November 28, where he will meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and head of the Religious Affairs Directorate, Professor ‘Ali Bardakoglu. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will probably not meet the pope, as he is scheduled to head to Latvia at the same day for a NATO summit.
Erdogan asked reporters not to place too much emphasis on the visit, but experts believe it comes as a response to the pope’s anti-Islamic comments of two months ago. Benedict opened a speech in September by quoting a Byzantine emperor who claimed Islam was an irrational, violent religion. The speech was followed by riots all over the Muslim world.
The Turkish security organizations are planning to take very high security measures ahead of the visit to ensure the pope’s safety, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reports. Protestors will not be allowed near routes to be used by the pope. Nearly 3,000 policemen will be deployed in the capital Ankara during the 20-hour visit. Pope Benedict is also scheduled to visit Istanbul and Izmir.