ANKARA - A Turkish town that was once home to early Christians has sent soil to be placed in the grave of Pope John Paul II, the local mayor said Wednesday.
Bekir Odemis, the mayor of Urgup, in the central Cappadocia region, said they had invited the pope several times, but the visit never materialized due to the pontiff's ailing health, the Anatolia news agency reported.
"We thought we could compensate for that by at least sending Cappadocian soil to his grave," Odemis said.
The Vatican embassy in Ankara welcomed the idea, the mayor said, adding that a wooden box containing the soil had been sent to the Holy See.
Cappadocia, a region dotted with volcanic rock formations that are today a major tourist attraction, was home to early Christians in the 3rd and 4th century.
Its hidden valleys and soft volcanic rock made the region a perfect place to create sites of worship and hide in underground cities from pagan Roman soldiers.
04/06/2005 11:17 GMT