an Italian Catholic priest last year, met relatives of the victim. The couple visited the Santa Maria Catholic Church, in Trabzon, where Father Andrea Santoro, 61, was shot dead as he knelt in prayer on 5 February, 2006. They expressed their sympathy to Fr Santoro’s mother and two sisters and to Cardinal Camillo Ruini, head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference.
"It was a very emotional moment. The boy’s mother kissed the Cardinal’s hand and she and her husband expressed their condolences and deep sadness. Father Santoro’s family told them they would be praying both for Santoro and the boy," said the mayor of Trabzon, Volkan Canalioglu in a statement.
"Santoro’s family told them they would be praying both for Santoro and the boy," he added. The priest was shot dead at a time of widespread anger across the Muslim world over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in European newspapers.
ASSAILANT MOTIVES
However church observers said the motives of the assailant, a 16-year-old identified only as O.A., have never been confirmed. His trial, in which he was sentenced to 18 years and 10 months in October, was held behind closed doors because of his young age.
Witnesses have reported the gunman shouted "Allahu Akhbar" or "Allah Is Great" as he fired two shots at the priest before fleeing. The expression is used in prayer by Muslims, but also as a rallying cry by Islamic militants.
Cardinal Ruini, who led the memorial service, called for reconciliation and understanding between Islam and Christianity. "We are here today in the spirit of Father Andrea Santoro, respecting Islam and considering Turkey and the Turks friends. Another reason why we are here is to show that dialogue between religions is possible and desirable," he said in published remarks.
OTTOMAN SULTAN
The Santa Maria Catholic Church was built in the nineteenth century on the orders of an Ottoman sultan to serve foreign visitors. It now has a community of about 20 worshipers.
Trabzon, a nationalist stronghold, again came under the spotlight after the January 19 killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul. Dink had come under fire for describing as "genocide" the killings of up to 1.5 million Armenian as well as Assyrian and Hellenic Christians carried out by Turkish Ottoman forces in the 1915-1917 period.
Turkey’s government has denied the figure or the involvement of Turkish forces in mass killings and rejects the term "genocide" and no more than 300,000 Armenians perished at the time. (With reports from Turkey)
