The pope, Muslims, and an apology

BY FERAI TINC
HURRIYET- While most people ponder who will become the new pope, I wonder if he will finish what John Paul II started.
Most people wonder what kind of a Middle East policy the Vatican will adopt, or how this policy will affect us. But I want to discuss an issue that has fallen below most people’s radar.
In February, Interfaith Dialogue Committee Chairman Fewzi Zafzaf submitted a written notice demanding that the Vatican apologize to Muslims for the Crusades.
Egyptian Islamic writer Mohammed Emara noted how the Vatican has apologized to Jews for its actions during the World War II, and said it should do the same thing now for the Muslims.
Pope John Paul II apologized to Greek Orthodox Fener Patriarch Bartholomeos last year. Bartholomeos then visited the Vatican and accepted the apology. This visit was significant, for it helped to melt the ice between the Catholic and Orthodox worlds. In fact, such apologies are political messages that bring nations closer to each other.
Now the Muslims are expecting such an apology to put an end to the crusader mentality, which still finds sustenance in Europe’s subconscious mind.
I hope the new pope will answer the Muslims’ call, because an apology from the Vatican would be the strongest political message for putting an end to the crusader mentality.