Leading Turkish Islamic Figure Meets Pontiff in the Vatican

Pope John Paul II, received Turkey's most widely respected Islamic figure, Fethullah Gülen, in his private residence in the Vatican, the Anatolia news agency reported. The pontiff had earlier sent an invitation to Gülen.

The Pepo John Paul II-Gülen meeting took place late Monday with the attendance of George Marovitch, the Holy See envoy in Istanbul.

During the half-hour meeting, Gülen told the pope that Islamic is usually misunderstood and is ready to accept any dialogue attempt that would eliminate that misunderstanding. He also said he has been having a continuing dialogue with Christian representatives in Turkey and his objective is to establish dialogue and tolerance among the three monotheistic religions.

Gülen, bringing to mind President Suleyman Demirel's invitation to the pope to visit Turkey, said he would provide the pontiff with assistance and accommodations if he decides to travel to Turkey.

The pope also told Gülen that he was very delighted by Demirel's invitation, and that he had had a pleasant time in Turkey during his last visit in 1979. He also responded positively to the calls by Gülen on establishing dialogue between religions.

Following the talks, Gülen said the 1981 assassination attempt against the pepo by Turkish right-wing terrorist Mehmet Ali Ağca was not discussed at all. Ağca is currently serving a life sentence in Italy.

Gülen also reportedly, met with Cardinal Francis Arinze, head of the Interreligious Dialogue Commission, and suggested an exchange of students between Turkey and the Vatican. 02.13.1998