c. 2006 Religion News Service

ISTANBUL, Turkey _ Pope Benedict XVI prayed alongside a top Muslim cleric while visiting a mosque Thursday, in a dramatic act of rapprochement aimed at diffusing tensions between Islam and the Vatican. It was only the second time in history that a Roman Catholic pope had entered a mosque; Benedict’s predecessor, John Paul II, was the first.

With his hands clasped and his eyes downcast, Benedict joined Mustafa Cagrici, the grand mufti of Istanbul, in prayer beneath the massive dome of the Blue Mosque, one the most prominent landmarks in the Muslim world.

“Let us pray for brotherhood and for all humanity,” the pope said in Italian.

The gesture marked a stunning shift in tone from the incendiary remarks Benedict delivered on Islam during a visit to Germany in September. In remarks that angered many Muslims, Benedict quoted a Byzantine emperor from Constantinople, now modern-day Istanbul, describing the teachings of Islam as “evil and inhuman” and “spread by the sword.”

It also reflected a sharp reversal of the pontiff’s personal views on interfaith prayer. As a cardinal and the Vatican’s former doctrinal watchdog, Benedict took a dim view of interfaith worship services, saying they blurred the distinct identities of each religion.

Since arriving in Turkey, however, Benedict has assumed a more diplomatic stance. On Tuesday, he voiced support for Turkey’s “integration” into Europe _ a position that softened the hard-edged skepticism he expressed as a cardinal over Turkey’s ongoing bid to join the European Union.

Upon entering the mosque, Benedict removed his shoes in accordance with Islamic religious practice. Cagrici guided Benedict and his entourage through a tour of the mosque. During the tour, Cargrici told the pontiff: “Now I’m going to pray.”

Benedict responded by casting his gaze downward and clasping his hands. Italian news agency ANSA reported that the pontiff later thanked Cagrici for the “moment of prayer.” Both men faced East, towards Mecca.

The visit to the Blue Mosque, officially called the Sultan Ahmet Mosque after the Ottoman sultan Ahmet I, was hastily added to Benedict’s schedule as a sign of respect to Muslims, the Vatican said. It came at the end of a highly symbolic tour of Istanbul’s religious sites that began at the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the symbolic leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians whose church maintains tense relations with the Turks.

The meeting with Bartholomew was aimed at healing a different rift: the schism of 1054, which split Christianity into Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Benedict, who has made ecumenical dialogue a centerpiece of his papacy, described the persistent divisions between the two churches as a “scandal to the world.”

Benedict and Bartholomew issued a joint statement that affirmed their push to restore Europe’s Christian identity.

“We must unite our efforts to preserve Christian roots, traditions and values, to ensure respect for history, and thus to contribute to the European culture of the future and to the quality of human relations at every level,” Benedict said.

Benedict also visited the Haghia Sophia, once the world’s largest church that was converted into a mosque under the Ottoman empire. The building’s status was changed to a secular museum and remains a symbol of the country’s concerted effort to remain officially secular despite its predominantly Muslim majority and the presence of several Christian minorities.

The visit to the Haghia Sophia, which contains Christian imagery, was closely watched for signs of whether Benedict would attempt to formally acknowledge the building’s Christian roots. He did not.

Thousands of police clad in riot gear took the streets to contain public protest, forming a wall to keep scattered protesters away from the landmarks on Benedict’s itinerary.

Zehra Dere, a Muslim woman who wore an Islamic head scarf, stood near the Haghia Sophia with a sign that condemned the pope’s visit. “May the tongue that slanders our prophets be broken and God condemn them. The Turk’s enemy is the pope,” her sign read.

Not all the Turks who turned out expressed opposition to the pope’s presence.

“The pope’s prayer in the mosque showed the commitment to dialogue between the religions,” said Ramazan Tektas, an employee of the Istanbul government. “He showed the public that the idea that he is against Islam is wrong.”

KRE END RANK

(Scott Rank reported from Istanbul; Stacy Meichtry reported from Rome)