According to the president of the Turkish bishops, the presence of the Patriarch of Moscow Alexis II in Istanbul, in spite of a few divergences with the ecumenical Patriarchate, "narrows the gap with the Orthodox churches again, and this may have a positive impact on the Catholic-Orthodox theological dialogue". As for a possible journey of the Pope to Russia, the bishop said to be "very optimistic". As for the trend of the Pauline Year, Msgr. Padovese is "happy" about the flow of pilgrims. However, he admitted that "in relation to the age-old question of the church in Tarsus, there is nothing new, for the time being". "Last week, there was the pilgrimage of a delegation of bishops from Germany. This visit was much followed by German media, which emphasized also the opportunity for all the Christians in Turkey to have a permanent place of worship in Tarsus, and not only for the Pauline Year". "Lately, the mayor of Cologne sent a letter to Turkey's Premier Erdogan: firmly but genially, he recalled him the commitments undertaken during one of his journeys to Cologne. Actually, Erdogan publicly declared that if the Christians asked for a place of worship in Tarsus, he would do anything possible for them, to obtain it even against the opposition. We are waiting for those words to be implemented", he concluded.
News by SIR
