The Pope Tries to Mend Fences in Turkey
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On the first day of his historic trip, Benedict softens his stance on Turkey's push to join the European Union and tries to put the controversy over his notorious speech about Islam to rest
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Ever since Pope Benedict XVI wandered into the religious crossfire between Islam and the West, the Vatican has been busy trying to retreat to calmer ground.
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ISTANBUL -- Turkey's top Islamic cleric asked Pope Benedict XVI yesterday to take back recent remarks he made about Islam and unleashed a string of counteraccusations against Christianity, raising tensions before the pontiff's November visit -- his first to a Muslim country.
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Analysis: Benedict's words and gestures in Turkey, including a visit to a mosque, reveal a man who is finding his footing but still has a long way to go
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ISTANBUL -- Pope Benedict XVI was greeted in Turkey with a lecture on how the Christian West scorns Islam. He left yesterday with Istanbul's chief Islamic cleric speaking lyrically of better days ahead between the faiths.
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ASSISI, Italy -- Pope Benedict XVI made a pilgrimage to the birthplace of St. Francis yesterday, lamenting the violence in the Middle East and decrying "the illusion" that force could resolve conflicts.
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While the four-day trip is aimed at reaching out to the Orthodox, expectations are high for the pope to also reach out to Muslims.
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Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday that his visit to Turkey is aimed at promoting dialogue and bridging differences, speaking minutes before departing for his first trip as pontiff to a predominantly Muslim country.
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Pope Benedict faced a growing   chorus of demands on Tuesday for an unequivocal apology for   remarks seen as portraying Islam as a violent faith, despite   attempts by Western leaders and churchmen to defuse the crisis.
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Turkish security teams fanned out across the Turkish capital on Tuesday before the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI on his first visit to a predominantly Muslim country, where he faces public anger over his remarks on violence and Islam.
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Pope Benedict may have prayed with a  mufti in Istanbul's Blue Mosque, but that doesn't mean that  Catholic children in his native Germany can follow his example  when they gather for pre-Christmas festivities at their  schools.
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ISTANBUL, Dec 4 (IPS) - Despite controversy and fears for his safety, the  first visit of Pope Benedict XVI to a Muslim nation ended with a  series of conciliatory gestures toward Islam, and towards Turkey.
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Pope Benedict visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Thursday, only the second Roman Catholic Pontiff to take such a step, and prayed silently in another gesture of reconciliation to the Muslim world.
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Pope Benedict embarked on Tuesday on a highly sensitive visit to Turkey, saying his four-day trip would be an opportunity for reconciliation and dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
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If Turkish security authorities needed a reminder of the challenge posed by Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey this week, Ibrahim Ak delivered it when he fired a pistol outside the Italian consulate in Istanbul and shouted that he wanted to strangle the pope with his bare hands.
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In Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI supported Turkey's bid to enter the European Union and visited a key mosque.
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Turkey greets Pope Benedict on Tuesday  for a four-day official visit, but the welcome will be  distinctly cool due to simmering Muslim anger over his comments  on Islam and his past opposition to Ankara's EU ambitions.