c. 2006 Religion News Service
ANKARA, Turkey _ Turkey’s government is rolling out heavy security measures in preparation for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday (Nov. 28) for the first leg of the pope’s four-day visit to this predominantly Muslim country.
Rooftop snipers, bomb squads and more than 3,000 police will be deployed in a clampdown that Turkish authorities say surpasses the measures adopted when President Bush visited Turkey for the 2004 NATO Summit in Istanbul.
The security precautions reflect just how contentious the pope’s visit to Turkey has become after his speech in September in which he quoted a medieval Christian ruler describing the teachings of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad as “evil and inhuman.”
The measures also underscore the Turkish government’s resolve in ensuring that the pontiff’s visit goes smoothly. Many observers see Benedict’s visit as a crucial test to Turkey, an officially secular country that is bidding for membership in the European Union.
The precautions mark a dramatic shift in tone for Pope Benedict XVI’s foreign travels. Papal trips traditionally feature high-profile processions in the popemobile and plenty of opportunities for the pontiff to greet the public. This week, however, the pontiff will keep a lower profile.
Security officials have designated three different routes for the papal convoy from Ankara’s Esenboga airport to the Turkish parliament when Benedict arrives on Tuesday. The pope will celebrate Mass indoors, among carefully screened members of Turkey’s tiny Roman Catholic community.
The political climate is expected to intensify once Benedict arrives in Istanbul on Wednesday, where he will meet with the controversial Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I. Benedict also plans to make a brief visit to the city’s famous Blue Mosque as “a sign of respect” to Muslims, Vatican officials confirmed on Sunday.
Turkey is mobilizing its Navy to patrol Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait for security threats. Last week, more than 100 right-wing nationalists protested the pope’s visit by bursting into Istanbul’s Haghia Sophia, a church-turned-museum, to shout slogans and performed Islamic prayers in the museum’s officially secular grounds.
On Sunday, an estimated 15,0000 protesters carrying banners that labeled the pontiff “false and ignorant” marched through downtown Istanbul. Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who tried to assassinate John Paul II in 1981, has also warned the pope of danger in coming to Turkey.
KRE/JL END RANK
