From Deseret News archives:

Pope offers a prayer in mosque

Published: Friday, Dec. 1, 2006 12:49 a.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
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.

Story continues below
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.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the mosque visit was added as a "sign of respect" to Muslims. "A (Christian) believer can pray in any place, even a mosque," Lombardi said, calling it an "intimate, personal prayer."

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image
Kerim Okten, Associated Press

Pope Benedict XVI, left, and Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I wave from a balcony in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday. The pope also visited an Islamic mosque in an effort at reconciliation.

previousnext

Latest comments

continued from previous post: The LDS church is very generous with this...

Letters: Explaining Palin

@Ernest T. Bass 4:57 p.m.: "If they ran the government on the principles...

House gives Real honor

Cool! Now let's hope this sparks a little more interest and support of the...

Big shots help Lone Peak edge Lehi

tell that to the kid that was as good and maybe a little better than your...

@Tim If this issue doesn't concern you, why even bother commenting?

To: Why? 1:29 p.m. Who are you asking? None of us knows the answers to...

thanks for sharing these tips. we all need to look for small ways to tread...

I was a part of standby thursday night. We were told that generally 400+...

Does anyone know if is true or not wether Utah is the only state that allows...

Hey all you great all staters. You get to come to Blanding for a week. Enjoy...

Advertisements