The Pope's visit to Turkey

John Allen, the only regular writer on the staff of the National Catholic Reporter who deprives some of us of the pleasure of calling that peridocal the National Catholic Distorter, reaches his usual high standard in discussing Pope Benedict's upcoming visit to Turkey, the centerpiece of which will be his meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at Phanar. I must say I was shocked to learn how deep and subtle the persecution of the Orthodox community in Turkey really is. We must pray for our Orthodox brethren there and for ecumenical progress to come out of this visit.

And please God, may Turkey not be let into the EU. Ethnicity and Middle-East borders aside, the problem of religious freedom there is alone enough to break the deal.