Pope prays with cleric at Turkey mosque By BRIAN MURPHY, AP Religion Writer

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Pope Benedict XVI joined an Islamic cleric in prayers under the towering dome of Istanbul's most famous mosque Thursday in a powerful gesture seeking to transform his image among Muslims from adversary to peacemaker.

The pope's minute of prayer was done in silence, but the message of reconciliation was designed to resonate loudly nearly three months after he provoked worldwide fury for remarks on violence and the Prophet Muhammad.

"This visit will help us find together the way of peace for the good of all humanity," the pope said inside the 17th-century Blue Mosque — in only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship. Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, made a brief stop in a mosque in Syria in 2001.

Benedict's steps through a stone archway and into the mosque's carpeted expanse capped a day of deep symbolism and lofty goals. Hours earlier, he stood beside the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians and passionately encouraged steps to end the nearly 1,000-year divide between their churches.

The pope walked to the mosque after touring another majestic tribute to faith: the 1,500-year-old Haghia Sofia and its remarkable mix of Quranic calligraphy and Christian mosaics from its legacy as a marvel of early Christianity and then a coveted prize of Islam's expansion.

At the mosque, the pope removed his shoes and put on white slippers. Then he walked beside Mustafa Cagrici, the head cleric of Istanbul. Facing the holy city of Mecca — in the tradition of Islamic worship — Cagrici said: "Now I'm going to pray." Benedict, too, bowed his head and his lips moved as if reciting words.

Before the pope left, he thanked Cagrici "for this moment of prayer."

"A single swallow can't bring spring," Cagrici told the pope, who ends his first papal trip to a Muslim nation Friday. "But many swallows will follow and we will enjoy a spring in this world."

The pope received a painting showing the Sea of Marmara and a glazed tile decorated with a dove. The mosque is officially known as the Sultan Ahmet Mosque after the Ottoman sultan Ahmet I, who ordered its construction. But it's widely called the Blue Mosque after its elaborate blue tiles.

The pope presented the imam with a mosaic showing four doves.

"Let us pray for brotherhood and for all humanity," Benedict said in Italian.

Continued:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061130/ap_on_..._ea/pope_turkey

He never apologized to us Pagans for saying were Nazis.

i wondered how he would handle this, seems as if he made a wonderufl choice, imagine if the UN could do this we would have peace tommorow.......

Glad to see I'm not the only one still ticked off over this.

Yes.. it's great that he's making amends for putting his foot into his mouth when he made that idiotic comment about islamics. However, I don't see him meeting with pagan leaders and apologizing to the pagan community about his other foot in mouth issue by calling us Nazis and that we were responsible for the holocaust.

And he never will... which angers me even more.

Why are you so mad? Clearly to him, a Nazi himself, the fact of being a Nazi is a very good thing.


As for him praying in a mosque........ He's just appeasing to Muslims after he told the blunt truth. His weakness in holding up his words while also on his knees with his lips all puckered up against the Clerics butt cheeks is funny as hell to me. Christians should be ashamed of such a weak figure head.

oh wait.. because the pope thinks being a nazi is ok, that means calling pagans nazis is equaly ok! Excuse me while I beat my head against my desk till your logic makes sence.

Me thinks someone needs a humor lesson and clearly my post is a quick jab at the Pope.

Me thinks someone needs to know that a ticked of feline is not to be joked around with. X)

SC what is the saying wrath knows no fury like a women scorned, something tells me a man probably wrote that ...

I don't buy into it. (Imo I don't like this pope, there's just something about him.)

Pagan leaders? When did all the new age kids organize? Do you guys even have a common belief? I thought it was still believe in whatever you want.
How can you offend a group of people who arnt a group.

*sighs and shakes her head*

Right.. time to explain..

Paganism is multiple old world faiths.. and now some of these "new age" beliefs have been sweept up along. There are a few pagan faiths that have large communities along with leaders. In the whole of the Brittish Isles there are huge Druidic community, as well as old world witches, and the newish Wicca. Same with the states... Though there are far more scattared pagan faiths.. Inclueding an Worshipers of Odin, shamans of verious sorts, and just your solitary types. (like me for now)

Hinduism is also a form of paganism, if not Pantheonism...

Paganism though (though the word is now used to lable such faiths as Druid, Shaman, Animism, Witches and Wicca...) is not this whole only newage scattared group. So you can offend a group that *is* a group. A rather large group.

Err, the pope is only the figurehead of one segment of Christianity, known as the Catholics. He aint no figurehead of mine.

I for one think it's nothing more than a publicity stunt by Mr Ratzinger Benedict, but that's the way it goes.

All the pictures of the pope are creepy.

How did this become about you? I quoted Darkwind.



Err? Really? When did that happen? Catholics are still pretty big so it will reflect. If you didn't also know, he's trying to ease ties in the faith.





*snickers*

Hindu is classified polythiestic (not pagan, which is usualy placed on small religious groups) but actualy brahman is all things so technicaly its mono.

And a witch isnt a faith its anyone who uses witchcraft.

And all druids today are actualy neo-druids. Druids of old never wrote anything down, remains and written accounts of greeks and romans on gauls is what we know of em. Its the same thing with the revival of egyptian religion, funeral writing and greek papyri is what they go by.
Its like star trek like future generations going back to christianity and basing it off of the Divinci Code.

And the whole shaman craze is just as deluted. The word shaman just replaced witch doctor for the west. While one group, I believe siberia(something like that) call themselves shamans every other tiny tribe like community spiritual leader does not call themselves that nor do they all believe in the same thing. I know youll say they believe in all things have spirits yadda yadda but how else are they gonna explain it. All human cultures believed in a living world controled by spirits until they advanced.
And ive heard native americans and a few other indigenous people dont like being refered to as shamans.

And pagan or paganus just means country folk. When rome was going christian, the "uneducated supersticious" country dwellers kept there religion, its like a hardcore athiest calling you religious, its not meant as a friendly term.
Or modern christians and muslims calling you a fanatic.

Sooner or later your gonna have to realize that our ancesotrs while smart werent the most knowledgeable. We know aloooot more than they did but imho our smarts are lacking.

When did what happen? The pope not being my figurehead? I've never been Catholic, how can he be? i'm not sure what you're asking.

The pope may be trying to ease ties in teh Faith, but until the Catholic church stops teaching what (IMO) are doctrines contrary to the Bible, then there's no way that I can accept the Pope as a figurehead of my Faith. The only figurehead of my Faith is Jesus Christ. No other person can I put forward.

That was the dark art of sarcasm. Me talking about when did the different branches of Christianity break off and become from my reaction - I think I know there are more then one branch of it.



Well, there you go then. That's you... A single believer. The Pope is easing tensions with an entire country's population of the faithful to have better relations.

Most Pagan religions are polythiestic. I have 32 God/desses in my main Pantheon (Irish Celtic.) Then there is my Hoo Doo Pantheon which is African Yorba which is the oldest of the Pagan religions practiced. I am polythiestic.

Most witches use God/desses in their work, a Wiccians are witches and Wicca is a religion.

This is true, but we know more than the those of the who did a revival of 16th century. They did find a evidence of a Druid Book in a bog not long a go. I'll have to dig you some info and send it over Xmas vacation.

There is a lot of the old Egyptian religion left. I envy them.



The definitions of words change over time. That is like using root definitions for all words, it wouldn't be practical.


I don't know about that medical science has gained a lot from the wisdom of the ancestors.

edit I can't figure out all the quotes ya'll just have to figure it out.

double edit: this should fix up the quoting problem - PA

If he were really passionate about it, he would get rid of every western council since 1054, remove the filioque from the Nicaean creed, and then get rid of papal infallibility.
I just don't see it happening anytime soon.
Although, East-West relations are better in this century than they have been for quite some time.

Christianity is polythiestic if you ask a few scholars, muslims or judaist.

Just like Ni##er is pretty much a term for us black folk, it originaly was meant toward anyone who was ignorant, same with gay it meant happy. Yes we change the meaning of words, but the use of slang and adopting them as legitamite words isnt realy the best thing to keep a common language. Its hard already to understand people from georgia imagine 100 years from now.
Plus why would u want to refer to urselfs using a word that was used as an insult to you?

And while they may use god or goddesses in work it doesnt make it a religion. Wiccan is a religion but a witch is a user of witchcraft. All who do magical work are witches. Now I know in the "magical community"

U sure about that druid book. I heard they didnt believe in writting there ways down, they kept it all oral tradition.

He should first apologize for having been a Nazi! (Hitler Youth member)
Meanwhile he's a dictator of the largest cult on the face of the Earth. I'll be surprised if the bigot leaves Turkey alive. Not like his being a target holds the potential for making secular and religious history!

LOL!

Is being a liar a prerequisite for being the Pope?

Re praying in the mosque; was this a genuine act or was it damage control from his previous statements? To me its obvious, the Pope and the RCC is more interested in saving its own behind than honesty and integrity.

I hear the Pope has got Henry Kissinger advising him these days, when in doubt get advice from a war monger(I know seperate topic altogether lol).

I just dont really like this Pope...the last one was much cooler. The last one went to a mosque by his free will and kissed the Quran - not because he made bad comments and is trying to look good but because he wanted to. The last Pope got shot by a turk. He forgave him. This Pope in my opinion has way too many personal opinions to be holy in any way, shape or form.
Im all for Christianity making a tighter bond with Islam and Judaism and spreading out its wings to roots of all faiths.

am I the only one who thinks this is a ploy to gain good favor with the Islamics so the RCC will strenghten it's grip on the world and while working in the US govt to o desroy the US constitution and take away our freedom

It is probably all an evil ploy to get Europe to pressure Turkey into committing the horrific acts of providing Christian minorities equal rights and recognizing the Armenian genocide.

While it is good progress that a high official of a religion can put aside intolerance (talking about both catholic and muslim here) the cynical little devil sitting on my shoulder is still whispering that this won't make a blind bit of difference with the 'masses', at least not in the short or possibly even mid-term.

It will take decades, if not centuries, to erase the distrust between religions (if indeed it can be done at all) and so the extremists on all sides will not be swayed by this act of togetherness.

Of course both sides had personal agendas for this opportunity, but perhaps one can look beyond their selfish reasons and see an example others could follow?