German bishop voices concern for Mor Gabriel
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 18, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - German Protestant Church members called for efforts to promote dialogue between Muslims and Christians during comprehensive talks with government officials early this week.
The delegation headed by Bishop Wolfgang Huber was in Ankara and Istanbul from March 13 to 16, meeting with representatives of the Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches as well as members of the Jewish community. In Ankara, Huber held talks with Religious Affairs Director Ali Bardakoğlu and gave a lecture at the Theology Faculty of the Ankara University.
His discussions with Turkish officials centered on ways to bridge the existing gaps between different religions, mainly between Islam and Christianity, and reach a better understanding. Huber shared concerns about a land dispute surrounding Mor Gabriel, a Christian church located near Turkey’s border with Syria, and said more needs to be done to create an environment that allows religious minorities to observe their religion. In his lecture at Ankara University, Huber said both Islam and Christianity faced common problems, warning against fundamentalist interpretation of the holy books by certain groups that led to the political or ideological abuse of the Koran and the Bible.
His discussions with Turkish officials centered on ways to bridge the existing gaps between different religions, mainly between Islam and Christianity, and reach a better understanding. Huber shared concerns about a land dispute surrounding Mor Gabriel, a Christian church located near Turkey’s border with Syria, and said more needs to be done to create an environment that allows religious minorities to observe their religion. In his lecture at Ankara University, Huber said both Islam and Christianity faced common problems, warning against fundamentalist interpretation of the holy books by certain groups that led to the political or ideological abuse of the Koran and the Bible.