Pope and Patriarch ponder an EU-member Turkey
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Pope Benedict and the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians said on Thursday minority rights must be protected as the EU expands and appeared to jointly support Turkish membership if it protected religious liberties.
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EFES, Turkey  - Turkey on Wednesday praised the conciliatory tone of Pope Benedict during his visit to the predominantly Muslim country and his apparent new support for Ankara's bid to join the European Union.
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Pope Benedict XVIÂs visit to Turkey in late November is likely to be a flash point for a surprisingly broad array of issues.
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Benedict XVI wants to help restore Istanbul as the global center of  Orthodox Christianity. But the Turkish authorities worry what that  could mean for their country's secular identity
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Pope Benedict on Wednesday embarked on a second mission in Turkey, to improve ties between Catholic and Orthodox Christians, after winning praise for his conciliatory views on Islam and the country's future in Europe.
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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 backed Ankara's EU entry bid and said Islam was a religion of peace on Tuesday, according to Turkey's prime minister, in a bid to soothe rows over his views in the mostly Muslim state.
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Pope Benedict's tour of Turkey winds up on Friday looking like an across-the-board success for his effort to repair battered relations with Turkey's Muslims.
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ISTANBUL, Dec. 5 (IPS) - On its long and winding road to becoming the first  Muslim nation of the European Union, Turkey's accession  talks are heading towards a breakdown. The question is whether  there will be a minor collision or a major crash that could  eventually derail its membership bid.
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Turkey's top Muslim leader on Tuesday told Pope Benedict there was too much "Islamophobia" in the world, as the Pontiff appeared to do an about-face from his previous opposition to Ankara's bid to enter the European Union.
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Pope Benedict sets off on Tuesday  on one of the most delicate trips by a Pontiff, visiting  Turkey, where resentment is seething over his comments on Islam  and opposition to Ankara's EU bid.
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Turkey prepared a muted welcome for Pope  Benedict on Tuesday as the pontiff embarked on a highly  sensitive visit to a mostly Muslim country still smarting from  controversial comments he made about Islam.
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ISTANBUL -- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to meet Pope Benedict XVI in Turkey today, a change of plans that appears to signal openness to a visit that has angered many Turks.
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Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan  urged the European Union on Thursday to open its doors to  non-Christians after French President Jacques Chirac made a  vibrant appeal to bring Turkey into the EU.
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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has changed his plans and will meet Pope Benedict XVI in Turkey on Tuesday, the Vatican said.
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After Pope Benedict XVI infuriated the Islamic world with his remarks on holy war, Vatican officials scrambled to save his planned trip to predominantly Muslim Turkey. Two months later, there was the German pontiff on Thursday not only visiting Istanbul but praying beside an imam in the city's famous Blue Mosque.
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The European Union's decision to start membership talks with Turkey gives the Muslim country a new position in Europe and the Islamic world, Foreign Minster Abdullah Gul said Sunday.