VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI called his visit to Turkey an unforgettable experience and said he hoped it would lead to improved relations between Christians and Muslims.
The pope made the remarks at his noon blessing Dec. 3 at the start of the Advent season, addressing pilgrims two days after returning from a pilgrimage of dialogue in Turkey.
The pope thanked the organizers of the four-day trip, including Turkish authorities, for ensuring that the visit was "peaceful and fruitful." He expressed his gratitude to "the friendly Turkish people" for giving him "a welcome worthy of their traditional spirit of hospitality."
He said the visit was "an unforgettable spiritual and pastoral experience, which I hope will help produce an increasingly sincere cooperation among all the disciples of Christ and a beneficial dialogue with Muslim believers."
The papal visit was designed as a primarily ecumenical trip and featured important encounters with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.
But the pope generated the most interest in Turkey and in the world by meeting with Muslim leaders and visiting the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, where he prayed alongside a Muslim cleric while facing Mecca.
The pope recalled with special affection the "dear Catholic community" in Turkey. He said that despite its small size the Catholic minority is rich in enthusiasm and faith, and carries out its pastoral life "in conditions that are often not easy."
The pope said Turkish Catholics are, in effect, living in a continuous experience of Advent, sustained by hope and trust that God is coming.
The message of Advent, he said, is that Christ "is coming into human history, to knock at the door of every man and woman of good will, to bring the gift of brotherhood, harmony and peace to every individual, every family and every people."
Highlights of the trip
Events with Orthodox leaders: Claiming the brotherhood of their respective patron saints — the apostles Andrew and Peter — the spiritual leaders of the world's Orthodox and the world's Catholics joined together in prayer and solemnly affirmed their commitment to the full unity of their churches.
Incense and ancient hymns chanted in Greek set the atmosphere as Pope Benedict XVI paid homage to the Orthodox church by attending a Nov. 30 Divine Liturgy celebrated by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.
The pope and patriarch greeted each other with kisses on the cheek, but then the pope moved to a raised wooden throne at the side of the church while the patriarch celebrated the solemn liturgy.
After the almost three-hour liturgy, Patriarch Bartholomew led Pope Benedict to a balcony overlooking a courtyard. They both blessed the crowd, then the patriarch took the pope's hand and held it aloft as they waved and smiled at the applauding crowd below.
Praying at mosque: In a gesture of respect to Muslims in Turkey and around the world, Pope Benedict XVI prayed in Istanbul's famed Blue Mosque, his first papal visit to an Islamic place of worship.
As the pope walked with Mustafa Cagrici, the grand mufti of Istanbul, to the "mihrab" niche that points the way toward Mecca, the mufti said he was going to pray.
The pope stood alongside him, bowed his head and moved his lips in silence for about a minute. The Nov. 30 encounter was warm and cordial and contrasted sharply with recent controversies and tensions between the pope and the Muslim world. The 20-minute stop was a last-minute addition to the papal program.
Built by Sultan Ahmet I in the early 1600s, the Blue Mosque, with six minarets and cascading domes, is one of the most famous religious buildings in the world.
Mass with local Catholics: The pilgrimage of dialogue closed with Pope Benedict XVI celebrating Mass with the tiny Christian community in Istanbul and encouraged it to live in harmony with the Muslim majority.
"Brothers and sisters, your communities walk the humble path of daily companionship with those who do not share our faith, yet profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us adore the one, merciful God," the pope said in a sermon.
About 300 people packed into the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit for the Dec. 1 Mass. Several hundred more stood in the cathedral's inner plaza and in the courtyard of a nearby church, following the liturgy on a TV screen.
Turkey has only 32,000 Catholics in a population of 72 million. Most of them live in Istanbul, which has for centuries been a bridge to the West.
