Pope Benedict XVI’s official visit to Turkey, at the invitation of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, created great controversy in the country and was a focal point of attention for the media worldwide.

While secular Turks emphasized the importance of the papal visit, and the opportunities it presented for Turkey to demonstrate its hospitality and show its Western, secular, and modern face, both Islamist and ultra-nationalist circles protested the visit.

The following are excerpts from the Turkish media on the Pope's visit through demonstrations, articles, and public statements:

"What if the Pope... is Coming Willingly to Turkey to Be Assassinated?"

Columnist Taha Kivanc of the Islamist Turkish daily Yeni Safak, which is known to be the unofficial mouthpiece of the AKP government, wrote: [1] "[…] The Palestinian woman who wanted to destroy Israeli targets [in a martyrdom operation] and the Pope who is coming for a visit and whose life is feared for, are in directly opposite positions - one is a [potential] assassin, the other is a potential victim. [My friend asked] 'What if the Pope too wants to sacrifice himself for a cause he deems sacred, and is coming willingly to Turkey to be assassinated?'

"I was terrified at the thought in this question. The most disturbing factor in the Pope's visit to Turkey is his infamous speech [in Germany in September 2006], soon after his visit to Turkey was scheduled. [It was] that same speech on the subject of Islam that angered Muslims worldwide… In that speech, he quoted a dialogue that took place in the 1400s in Turkey, between the Byzantine emperor and a Persian Muslim.

"[…] 'Can you imagine what would happen if the Pope was assassinated in Turkey?'

"[…] Such an act would bring worse consequences for the future than any apocalyptic film ever made. […]PM Erdogan, FM Gul, [and] Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas would all be blamed for leaving the country so as not to receive the guest. Images from yesterday's demonstrations […], [Turkish] politicians' condemnation of the Pope's infamous remarks, and all the criticism [of the Pope] in the [Turkish] press would be rehashed hundreds and thousands of times. A real nightmare…"

"The Pope's Visit is a Crusade… An Atrocity"

Columnist Orhan Karatas of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Turkish daily Ortadogu wrote: [2] "Everybody knows already why the Pope is coming to Turkey tomorrow. The visit that starts tomorrow is a Crusade, in every meaning of the word. To search for an iota of goodwill in this visit […] is stupid. […] The Pope is not coming to Turkey because it is a Muslim country. […] [even though] he and those who speak for him say that. The Pope is coming to Turkey to re-sanctify Istanbul and to bring about a Christian world that will include the Orthodox. The days of the visit, the locations, the planned prayers, statements to be made, [and] his arrogant and humiliating attitude towards the AKP government clearly indicate what the real purpose is.

"The Pope's visit is an atrocity, not only for Turkey but for all Muslims.[…] [This is] because the visit is taking place in order to strengthen the Pope's status and to form an alliance against all Muslims."

Necmettin Erbakan, Father of Turkish Political Islam From Which the AKP Emerged: "All Humanity, Including the Pope, Owes Everything to Islam"

The Islamist Turkish daily Milli Gazete reported that former Turkish PM Necmettin Erbakan told a demonstration in a video address: [3] "You, my believing brothers, represent today not only Istanbul, and not only the 75-million-strong Turkey, but the entire Islamic world of 1.6 billion […]. You are screaming here for the Pope not to come […] because this person, who is supposedly the leader of the Catholics, has throughout his life been an opponent of God's true religion, Islam - the only path to humanity's happiness.

"All humanity, including the Pope, owes everything to Islam and to our Prophet. It was Islam that taught humanity about cleanliness, about knowledge, about God's work, and about all the core elements of happiness. Whatever this man called the Pope knows about being clean, whatever he knows about numbers - including his ability to add and subtract - he acquired from the Muslims, who created science and gave it to the world. […]

"We are also telling the Pope not to come because we know why he is coming… He is coming in total defiance of the Turkish people, to visit the Patriarch of the Orthodox [Christians], to strengthen his hand and claims for ecumenical status, and to resurrect Byzantium. He is coming as the religious representative of the Greater Middle East Project… This is part of the plans to divide our country and nation into easy-to-swallow bites. That is why we are here today in the name of the entire Muslim world […].'"

Secular, Mainstream Turkish Media: "Does the Pope Have an Infectious Disease?"

In a column titled "Does The Pope Have An Infectious Disease?" [4] Hurriyet columnist Mehmet Y. Yilmaz asked: [5] "Taking a look at the picture slowly emerging in Turkey prior to the upcoming visit by Pope Benedict XVI, I can't help wondering 'if the Pope has an infectious disease.' Ever since the September 11 attacks in America, the entire AKP administration, with PM Erdogan in the forefront, have appeared to be men of 'dialogue between civilizations.' […] But now, just as the Pope is arriving, the PM and FM are off to Lithuania [and Finland]. Mehmet Aydin, the state minister responsible for the Ministry of Religious Affairs, is off to Germany. It is not clear exactly who from this government the Pope will meet with… It seems to me that […] they are avoiding […] Pope Benedict XVI."

Hurriyet editor-in-chief Ertugrul Ozkok wrote: [6] "'Turkey is emptying as the Pope arrives.' The visit that the entire Christian world will be watching is about to begin. But Turkey's prime minister is going abroad for a NATO summit. Minister Mehmet Aydin is going to Germany. The mayor of Istanbul will be abroad. In short, the AKP government [...] flees. […] Yesterday's Milli Gazete, which is a Saadet Party [SP] publication, had this headline: 'Preparations for the demonstration are underway. SP is organizing a 'the sly and ignorant Pope must not come' march.’ […]

"[…] How could PM Erdogan miss an opportunity like this, having stood last week with the Spanish PM Zapatero in Istanbul and defended inter-religion dialogue during the meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations [project]?[…]"]