Pope: Turkey is a bridge between Islam and the West

Pope Benedict

Turkey is well placed to make a significant contribution to peace in the Middle East, Pope Benedict said yesterday, in an address to Turkey's new ambassador to the Holy See, Kenan Gursoy.

The Holy Father said: "As a secular democratic state that straddles the boundary between Europe and Asia, Turkey is well placed to act as a bridge between Islam and the West, and to make a significant contribution to the effort to bring peace and stability to the Middle East. The Holy See appreciates the numerous initiatives that Turkey has already taken in this regard, and is eager to support further efforts to put an end to long-standing conflicts in the region".

Benedict XVI focused on the importance of achieving peace in the Middle East, a very important goal that is fully backed by the Vatican: "As history has so often shown, territorial disputes and ethnic rivalries can only be satisfactorily resolved when the legitimate aspirations of each party are duly taken into account, past injustices acknowledged and, when possible, repaired". The Pope concluded stressing "the high priority that the Holy See gives to the search for just and lasting solutions to all the conflicts of the region and of its readiness to place its diplomatic resources at the service of peace and reconciliation."

Source: VIS