VATICAN CITY, Sept 30 (AFP) - The Vatican must remain neutral towards Turkey's bid to join the European Union, Cardinal Angelo Sodano said Thursday, in response to a campaign by a German cardinal against Ankara's EU hopes.
"The Holy See is neutral on political matters. We cannot tell Switzerland not to join, or Turkey that it cannot join and Ukraine that it can," the cardinal told reporters.
"These are decisions between states, on which the Holy See is and must remain neutral," he stressed.
German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a highly influential figure in the Roman Catholic Church, has recently spoken out against the prospect of Turkey, a predominantly Muslim nation, joining the EU.
He has argued that allowing Ankara to join would be "a huge mistake" that would run "counter to history".
The vast and relatively poor country has been an official EU candidate since 1999 and hopes to be given a date to start accession talks in December.
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is widely expected to recommend in a report to be published on October 6 that the EU start membership negotiations with Turkey.