A delegation of 10 German bishops led by Card. Joachim Meisner left for a five-day pilgrimage to Istanbul and Tarsus yesterday. The auxiliary bishop of Hamburg, Msgr. Hans-Jochen Jaschke, participates in the journey, too. Msgr. Hans-Jochen Jaschke is active in relation to dialogue with the Turkish Islamic Union in Germany (DITIB). “This is not a journey to get information about the situation of the Christians, it is a pilgrimage”, pointed out Meisner, stating that during the visit, “of course, one realizes how Christians live in Turkey”. “One does not want to provoke in any way”, added Msgr. Robert Zollitsch, president of German bishops. “It must be possible for the Christians to make a pilgrimage and to celebrate the Mass at the church of Tarsus, set up as museum”. “We shall be discreet”, stated Msgr. Jaschke, “but we shall clearly say that we are Catholic bishops visiting our Paul, to one of his historical places, and that we would like to make a pilgrimage to Turkey, which would willingly approach Europe”. “A centre for pilgrims in Tarsus might ease tensions on the construction of mosques in Germany, too”, affirmed Jaschke. However, he pointed out that it is necessary to be careful about a mutual attitude: “Intelligence is needed on the political side as well as in relation to Christians and Muslims - he added, – freedom of religion is not a threat for one’s country but an opportunity”.
News by SIR