Vatican: Pope not being snubbed by Turkish PM

The Vatican today sought to play down suggestions that Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was snubbing Pope Benedict XVI by attending a Nato meeting during the pontiff’s upcoming visit to the predominantly Muslim country.

In a statement, the Vatican said it was informed long ago that Erdogan – whose Justice and Development Party is Islamic-rooted – might not meet with Benedict during the pope’s November 28 – December 1.

Erdogan and foreign minister Abdullah Gul are expected to attend a Nato summit scheduled for November 28-29 in Riga, Latvia, and were not scheduled to meet the pope.

The Vatican has not yet released a schedule for the visit but it said in the statement that it “had long been informed – during preparations for the visit - that (the pope’s trip) would coincide with the prime minister’s important commitment for the Nato summit in Latvia.”

“It had also been informed that the head of government was going to try to be present in Turkey to meet with the Holy Father, but that he could not assure that,” the statement said.

Some Italian newspapers suggested Erdogan was snubbing the pope.

“Erdogan’s Snub: The Turkish Premier Will Avoid the Pope …” read a front-page headline in La Stampa.

It would be Benedict’s first visit as pope to a predominantly Muslim country, just two months after he provoked widespread anger by quoting an emperor who characterised the Prophet Mohammed’s teachings as “evil and inhuman".

The pope has since expressed his regrets for offending Muslims and called for dialogue with Islam.