Muslim Turkey welcomes Pope's hand to peace

EFES, Turkey, Nov 29 (Reuters) Turks praised Pope Benedict today for moves to bridge the divide between Christians and Muslims as he began the part of his Turkey trip that is devoted to Christian issues.

Benedict, on a four-day visit to mend fences with Islam and Turkey, journeyed to a shrine in Efes near the southwest coast where legend says Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, lived out the last days of her life.

Attention in mainly Muslim Turkey, though, was focused on surprise moves by Benedict on arrival yesterday: his support for Ankara's bid to join the European Union and praise for the faith Muslims feel he had insulted in the past.

''This trip is important for Turkey's EU membership. This is a big warning for conservative politicians who think the EU is a Christian club,'' wrote daily Milliyet columnist Guneri Civaoglu.

''It started beautifully: the Pope told the world from Ankara that Islam was a religion of peace,'' said mainstream Hurriyet newspaper.

Benedict's trip was originally meant just as a visit to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul to try to bring the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches closer. There are some 100,000 Christians in Turkey.

But his speech in September that seemed to link Islam and violence -- a link he denied making -- turned it into a symbolic visit to the Muslim world crucial for the future of Vatican relations with Islam.

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