condemned the "dreadful attack" in a tourist area of Kusadasi, in western Turkey, which left five dead and 14 wounded, BosNewsLife monitored Tuesday, July 19. But the pontiff has "yet to receive an invitation from the Turkish government to be able to visit that country", the Catholic orieted Zenit news agency quoted Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls as saying.
Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople invited the pope on June 29 to visit his see, which is in modern-day Istanbul. Zenit said that the Orthodox Church hopes the leader of over 1 billion Catholics will visit its see November 30, "the feast day of its patron, St. Andrew."
He visit is also expected to further encourage those who suffered in the attacks in Turkey. In a
condolence telegram for the victims of the bombing the Pope already "implores Almighty God’s mercy for the persons who lost their lives in this dreadful attack, and God’s consolation for the affected families."
Benedict XVI’s message also expressed "heartfelt affection for the numerous wounded persons and their relatives, as well as for the authorities and the Turkish people."
PARCEL BOMB
A parcel bomb exploded Saturday, July 16, in a minibus transporting a group of tourists. Two of the dead were foreigners, one British and the other Irish, news reports said. A Kurdish pro-independence extremist group has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
However before planning foreign trips, the pope made clear in the holiday retreat Les Combes, Italy, he wants to spend time with God. Blessing some 7,000 people who wound their way up a single lane mountain road to reach the retreat in the shadow of Mount Blanc Sunday, July 17, the pontiff urged believers to rediscover their identity.
"In contact with nature, people can again find their true dimension," Pope Benedict VXI said, speaking under a brilliant sun and blue sky with the Alps behind him, the Associated Press (AP) reported from the scene. "They rediscover themselves as creatures, small but at the same time unique," the 78-year old added.
PIANO
The pope – an avid piano player – was surprised to find a piano installed at the Les Combes retreat, which had been used for many years by John Paul. Since he had come without music, Mozart scores were delivered from Aosta, the major city in the region, the spokesman reportedly said.
Many people in Sunday’s crowd had come to Les Combes on several occasions to see late Pope John Paul II, so Sunday’s first encounter with Benedict was perceived as somewhat bittersweet.
"Let’s hope he’s also a good communicator, so people can listen to him and learn from him because it’s such a difficult time," with so many terrorist attacks, Mirella Garaventa, a retired nurse, told AP. She reportedly traveled with her husband some 185 miles (296 kilometers) from their home in Genoa to see the pope. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from Italy, Vatican City and Turkey).
