The Mass that was celebrated in Tarsus yesterday in "Paul's Church" was a highlight of the pilgrimage of a delegation of nine German bishops in Turkey, led by card. Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne. "In the Pauline year, we wish to follow in the apostle's footsteps in his life on earth. His normative figure is essential, not just for Germany, but for the universal Church. We need Rome with Peter and we need Tarsus with Paul", stated Meisner to the German Catholic press agency Kna. "Tarsus has an extraordinary meaning that goes beyond the Catholic Church. Being able to live Peter's legacy, even in his places, is useful for the whole Christianity. This means letting the pilgrims from all over the world arrive in Tarsus and celebrate their services", explained Meisner, who has been working for some time with the Turkish authorities to have a Church in Tarsus. "About 80% of the New Testament was born in the area that is today's Turkey. We have to go back to the sources". As to its impact on inter-religious dialogue, the cardinal stated that, "if a pilgrim centre is built in this Islamic area, dialogue will come naturally. And the universal Church must be able to go back home to Paul's and have a church here".
News by SIR