Bridge Over Troubled Water

"The Catholic Church in Turkey is waiting for civil juridical recognition. This would help her to enjoy full religious freedom and to make an even greater contribution to society. As a secular democratic state that straddles the boundary between Europe and Asia, Turkey is well placed to act as a bridge between Islam and the West, and to make a significant contribution to the effort to bring peace and stability to the Middle East." [Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to H.E. Mr Kenan Gürsoy, New Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the Holy See]