Cardinal Casper speaks from the Vatican: "Turkey not ready for EU"
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 05, 2006 11:04
Cardinal Walter Casper, the head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has said that Turkey should not be allowed into the EU until it stops preventing religious freedom.
Speaking after the much-publicized knife attack on French priest Pierre Brunissen in the Black Sea city of Samsun, Cardinal Casper said at the Vatican "We do not think that Turkey is ready to unite with Europe. If a truly secular government were in place, it would be able to guarantee religious freedom. Currently, there are hostile actions occuring in Turkey aimed at religious minorities."
Cardinal Casper stated also to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "At Europe's roots is a shared culture of religious freedom. But in Turkey, nationalism and religious fanaticism prevent this. I do not see the recent attacks against Christians in Turkey as being individual acts. The nationalism displayed against foreigners there has reached dangerous levels. In this sense, it is clear that Turkey has not reached the level of maturity to allow it to share in European culture, and we think that, rather than EU membership, some sort of special status should be extended to this country."
Cardinal Casper stated also to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "At Europe's roots is a shared culture of religious freedom. But in Turkey, nationalism and religious fanaticism prevent this. I do not see the recent attacks against Christians in Turkey as being individual acts. The nationalism displayed against foreigners there has reached dangerous levels. In this sense, it is clear that Turkey has not reached the level of maturity to allow it to share in European culture, and we think that, rather than EU membership, some sort of special status should be extended to this country."