Turkey trip seen as chance for Pope to make amends

Some say Benedict should even rethink his opposition to Turkish membership of the European Union as a way of helping to narrow the gap between the Western and Islamic worlds and thus reducing the risk of a "clash of civilizations".

Benedict is due to make his first trip as Pope to a Muslim land on November 28-30. Ankara has said it wants the trip to go ahead despite Muslim anger that has only partially been quelled by the Pope's expressions of regret over the hurt he has caused.

"It is better that he come. It can help repair relations. The fact that he will be in Turkey can help Muslims see he is a man of goodwill," said Mehmet Dulger, head of the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee.

Dogu Ergil of Ankara University echoed this view.

"His trip will provide a window of opportunity to rephrase what he said, to show that he does not accept the negative stereotypes of Islam often found in the Western world," he said.

Even before his latest remarks on Islam, Turks were distrustful of Benedict, who before becoming Pope said Turkey as a non-Christian country would not fit into the EU.

"The Pope should come here but he should give a message that he now supports Turkey's efforts to join the European Union," said Cengiz Aktar of Istanbul's Bahcesehir University.

"He should make clear he sees this bid as part of the answer to the 'clash of civilizations'," he said, referring to U.S. scholar Samuel Huntington's best-selling book. But Aktar added he was not optimistic the Pope would make such a gesture.

Ankara began EU entry talks last year but is not expected to join for many years, if ever. Support for the EU has fallen in Turkey amid a feeling that the bloc is making too many demands and that it does not really want to admit a Muslim country.

Hasan Unal of Ankara's Bilkent University said it was telling that EU politicians opposed to Turkey's EU membership, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, had rushed to defend the Pope in the present row.

Benedict's visit is expected to trigger protests by Turkish nationalists and Islamists long distrustful of the Vatican and now fearful his comments herald a new Christian "crusade".

"Official Turkey cannot afford to disinvite the Pope, but the government will not stop popular protests that will help to show that his thinking about Islam is unacceptable in this part of the world," said Ankara University's Ergil.

In his lecture, Benedict quoted remarks by a 14th century Byzantine emperor -- ruling from modern-day Istanbul -- that everything the Prophet Mohammad had brought was evil.

Underlining Turks' anger, the state Anatolian news agency reported on Monday that a Turkish citizen in the western town of Bursa had asked state prosecutors to investigate the Pope's remarks and possibly to file charges.

Independent member of parliament Emin Sirin, a nationalist, told Reuters the Pope should definitely cancel his trip.

"I am ashamed to see a Pope in the 21st century express views reminiscent of the 14th century ... Hizbollah, Hamas, (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad could not find a better ally than this Pope for the radicalization of Islam," he said.

/Reuters/