Leo XIV pleads for the unity of mankind in Türkiye

Deutsch

Pope Leo XIV is the fifth pontiff to visit Turkey since the 1960s. Clearly, the country on the Bosporus is an important partner in dialogue.

Much honey surrounding Erdogan’s speech organ

What the drive for ecumenical unity can achieve is sometimes quite fascinating. Flowery words, convoluted circumlocutions, and slightly modified reminiscences of history. One wants to take them all by the hand and add them to the community of one’s gathered, obedient daughters. Pope Leo XIV is currently visiting Turkey and, to mark the start of his visit, delivered a speech last Thursday, directly addressing the President of Turkey, the “strongman on the Bosporus,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (Source).

The Roman Catholic view of history

As early as 2017, the public was given a friendly explanation of what the Church of Rome recommends in order to properly contextualize what has actually been observed after considering history. In the ecumenical letter on mutual recognition and repentance on the part of the (formerly) Protestant churches, it was humbly declared:

“What happened in the past cannot be changed. However, what is remembered about the past, and how this is done, can indeed change over time. Memory makes the past present. While the past itself is unchanging, the presence of the past in the present is mutable. Looking ahead to 2017, the point is not to tell a different story, but to tell this story differently.” (“Vom Konflikt zur Gemeinschaft”, Pos. 16, page 12, 2017)

In short: The more elegant way to bend, twist, and deny history.

“Christians have a Turkish identity”(?)

How else can one explain that the Pontiff, addressing a large crowd, began with the rather vague statement that Turkey is inextricably linked to Christianity, adding the phrase “origins of Christianity”? Just a few words later, Leo even went a step further:

“I willingly assure you that Christians desire to contribute positively to the unity of your country. They are, and feel part of, Turkish identity.“

Pope Leo X was not at the origin either.

In the 16th century, Pope Leo X was exposed to at least multiple stresses. Firstly, the Ottomans, the forerunners of Turkey, stood on the borders of the “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation” during their conquest campaigns.

The Ottomans were anything but friendly towards Christianity. The teachings of their prophet alone forbade it. Furthermore, Leo X was determined to raise the necessary funds for his ambitious plans to build St. Peter’s Basilica, which ultimately resulted in a substantial loan from the Fugger banking family (Augsburg). To meet these repayment obligations, the papal empire ultimately dispatched a hawker to sell indulgences.

Would Leo X have agreed with his “apostolic successor” No. XIV that Christendom has a Turkish identity?

It was Johann Tetzel who finally pushed an Augustinian monk and professor of theology in Wittenberg to the breaking point.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle gate, thus initiating the Reformation. Not exactly a relief for the beleaguered Vatican leader, who ultimately went so far as to excommunicate Martin Luther in 1521, only to hand over the Chair of St. Peter to his successor a short time later on the basis of involuntary resignation.

The “origin” is puzzling.

An important aspect highlighted by the Pope is that Turkey, or rather the Ottomans at that time, had been closely connected with “us” since its “origins.” This is because the Ottomans were thoroughly Islamic at that time, and their campaigns of conquest were also aimed at spreading the message of their Prophet to men, women, and children.

The Quran, however, was not completed until around 650 AD. Muhammad, the historically established (main) author of the Quran, lived between 570 and 632 AD. The Ottomans, predominantly Sunni, began their campaigns against Byzantine Thrace from 1354 AD onwards. This culminated in the final conquest of Constantinople, the last capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, in 1453. This was an expansion of the already existing Ottoman Empire (Turkish Empire), which existed between the mid-13th century and 1922.

The Pope’s grief is limited

For the Pope at the time, it wasn’t really a bitter loss, since Constantinople was, after all, the Eastern Church, which had broken away from Rome (“renegade rebels”), and his own “Roman” Western empire, the “Holy Roman Empire,” had already been established with Emperor Charlemagne and his papal coronation on Christmas Day 800 AD. But the Ottomans wanted more and continued their westward expansion undeterred, until they finally stood at the borders of the Roman Empire. A mountain of problems. And it was precisely at this time that a little monk appeared in Wittenberg, intensifying the dilemma surrounding the “unrestricted, unassailable, infallible” authority of the head of the Church.

Indeed, cooperation between the Ottomans and Christians existed from the early 14th century onward. This even originated from the Ottomans’ initiative. They focused on cultural exchange and blurring religious boundaries. However, this did not extend to Christianity on an ecumenical level, but rather involved specific groups who primarily assisted the Ottomans in other ways. Even marriages between Muslims and Christians were possible.

It seems likely that the Ottomans assumed that Islamization would be easy and peaceful, as they found Byzantium to be in a consistently decadent, degenerate, and almost derelict state in terms of land, people, culture, and government. This is precisely what history repeatedly shows happens in an empire in its “final stages.”

Connection through Christian “employees”

A certain proximity did indeed exist. One could, however, push back the dates by a generous 100 years, but still not understand to which origin of Christianity Pope Leo XIV was actually referring. However foreign it may seem to the Church of Rome, the statements of the Bible, even as historical records, are and remain first-hand information to this day. The word “Christians” appears for the first time as early as the 1st century, according to Acts 11:26:

“And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.“

It was not the apostles themselves who called themselves Christians, but rather interested listeners of their preaching in Antioch.

The Ottoman people themselves arose from a mixture of many peoples from around the Mediterranean. They adopted the name “Ottomans” by uniting and setting ambitious goals together.

The “Common One”: Abraham

From this perspective, no real connection can be discerned between the Turkic people and Christianity since its inception. It therefore remains a mystery what origin Pope Leo truly attributes to Christianity. The only connection the Pope himself establishes is Abraham, declared their common ancestor. This is supposedly the only link between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Naturally, the focus is not on differences, but exclusively on commonalities. “Reconciled diversity”—a well-worn motto within the ecumenical movement.

In his speech, the Pope naturally didn’t hold back on the usual platitudes about “preserving creation,” the common ground in Abraham, and now also the established connection based on a defined “Turkish identity” within Christianity. Incredible!

Intriguing background to Ishmael

It is not only the Turks who invoke Abraham, but all of Islam. This includes both Sunnis and Shiites (in Iran). If one refers to Ishmael as the “founding father” of Islam, then the underlying detail is somewhat intriguing. Ishmael is Abraham’s elder son, a “product” of Abraham’s (temporary) disbelief in God. The Lord promised Abraham that he would have a child with his beloved wife Sarah, from whom the descendant of Israel would emerge.

Abraham and Sarah were quite old, and even after years they had no children. Abraham’s faith in God’s promise waned. He sought out his wife’s servant, Hagar, to impregnate her instead. She would become the mother of Ishmael. But Hagar was neither a believer in God nor did she show any inclination towards faith. She was, in fact, a pagan from Egypt, and thus associated with idol worship.

Furthermore, when Hagar became a mother, she became arrogant towards Sarah and was rebellious. As a result, Hagar came out on the losing end and ran off with Ishmael, straight into the desert. Tormented by thirst and hunger, the Lord spoke to her and persuaded her to return to her mistress. The phrase “Hagar” even became the motto for the Protestant churches in 2023, Genesis 16:13:

“Thou God seest me!“

Could this be a veiled homage to Islam? Who knows. So be it, if it’s defined as Islam’s origin.

The ecumenical standard program

Pope Leo then proceeded to deliver the entire program based on “Laudato Si'” and “Fratelli Tutti,” the two encyclicals by Pope Francis (2015 and 2020), with their calls for the preservation of creation and fraternity to form a human family.

Another interesting aspect of his speech was the Pope’s description of the current global geopolitical crises as a “Third World War in pieces”.

Mit seinen abschließenden Worten sprach der Pontifex auch über die Ambitionen des Papsttums. Mein seiner “einzigen Kraft”, der geistlichen und moralischen, wolle der Heilige Stuhl mit allen Nationen zusammenarbeiten. Den Nationen, denen “die ganzheitliche Entwicklung aller Menschen, aller Männer und Frauen, am Herzen” liegen.

The Holy See, the mentor for all nations, peoples, and languages, as a spiritual and moral authority through the Roman Catholic Church. The Holy See and the Roman Church are intertwined, but not identical (Info).

Coincidental parallels

Erdogan is a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood. This Islamic organization adheres very strictly to the Quran on the one hand, but is also very active internationally in the area of ​​opaque trade relations. The club was founded on October 2, 1928, in Cairo.

Opus Dei falls into the same category, but within the Catholic camp. Founded, as fate would have it, on February 11, 1928, in Rome, just a few months before the establishment of Vatican City (1929) with the friendly support of the then-prominent fascist, Benito Mussolini. The main focus of Opus Dei’s activities remains largely obscure.

It’s quite conceivable that Opus Dei (“Christianity”) and the Muslim Brotherhood (“Islam”) could find common ground in their respective areas of activity, by mutual agreement. After all, both groups would have absolutely no chance of ever finding fertile ground in the opposing camp. So this is the way to do it.

Bible verses from King James Version (1611)