Aides breathe sigh of relief after pope's first day in Turkey

Published: 2006-11-29

ANKARA, Turkey (CNS) -- At the end of a long first day in Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI's aides seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. The local protests had fizzled. The prime minister had shown up to greet the pontiff after all. And the dialogue with Muslims had been honest and cordial -- at some moments, even friendly. The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, was smiling as he strolled into the Ankara press center late Nov. 28 for a briefing. The pope's trip, described by many as a difficult and perhaps dangerous mission, had gotten off to a fine start, he said. "It seemed to us that in recent days the climate for the visit was rapidly improving. Today we had the sensation that the pope was a welcome guest," Father Lombardi said. Turkish newspaper headlines the next morning confirmed Father Lombardi's impressions. "A beautiful beginning," was the main headline across Hurriyet, one of the country's leading dailies. "The pope calls Islam a religion of peace."

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