Did Pope Benedict pray toward Mecca?

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Aydan

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I was recently involved in a discussion with a woman who is a former Christian with Catholic background. She was telling me that the pope prayed towards Mecca while visiting the blue Mosque in Turkey. She said it was perfectly okay for Catholics to pray facing Mecca with Muslims. I found some news accounts saying that he did pray towards Mecca other accounts said he did not he prayed facing east toward Jerusalem. Are there any credible Catholic sources telling us what really happened available? Also why did the pope remove his shoes while visiting the mosque in Turkey but not remove them when he visited the mosque in Jordan? I find his actions rather perplexing to say the least. Are Catholics really allowed to pray facing Mecca? :confused:
 
Aydan said:
I was recently involved in a discussion with a woman who is a former Christian with Catholic background. She was telling me that the pope prayed towards Mecca while visiting the blue Mosque in Turkey. She said it was perfectly okay for Catholics to pray facing Mecca with Muslims. I found some news accounts saying that he did pray towards Mecca other accounts said he did not he prayed facing east toward Jerusalem. Are there any credible Catholic sources telling us what really happened available? Also why did the pope remove his shoes while visiting the mosque in Turkey but not remove them when he visited the mosque in Jordan? I find his actions rather perplexing to say the least. Are Catholics really allowed to pray facing Mecca? :confused:
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Check your geography. Both Jerusalem and Mecca are south of Istanbul.

rossum
 
I read he did face Mecca and did remove his shoes in both mosques. Granted, that was in the secular press.

Removing shoes in a mosque is traditional, just as covering the head in a synagogue. For mosques there’s actually a core practical reason - people don’t want to prostrate on floors that people have tracked mud on 😃

Although I understand that the symbolism of “praying toward Mecca” might be alarming to a non-Muslim, it’s actually not “praying towards a Muslim symbol” but rather praying towards the Ka’aba. The Ka’aba (that black square building you see when TV news shows Mecca) contains an altar that according to Muslim tradition was built by Abraham. Muslims face the altar when they pray (regardless of where they are). The city of Mecca is not important - it’s the altar of Abraham.

So you could just as easily say the Pope faced the altar of Abraham when he prayed.

Actually, whether he was facing Jerusalem or facing Mecca, he was facing towards one of the symbols of one of the other great Abrahamic faiths (Judaism or Islam, respectively).
 
Aydan said:
I was recently involved in a discussion with a woman who is a former Christian with Catholic background. She was telling me that the pope prayed towards Mecca while visiting the blue Mosque in Turkey. She said it was perfectly okay for Catholics to pray facing Mecca with Muslims. I found some news accounts saying that he did pray towards Mecca other accounts said he did not he prayed facing east toward Jerusalem. Are there any credible Catholic sources telling us what really happened available? Also why did the pope remove his shoes while visiting the mosque in Turkey but not remove them when he visited the mosque in Jordan? I find his actions rather perplexing to say the least. Are Catholics really allowed to pray facing Mecca? :confused:
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:eek::eek::confused:
 
I’m just trying to figure out what the official church teachings are on this issue because I need to know. . I am trying to figure out what the church says about praying towards Mecca in general since I’m interested in places other than Turkey. Yes Jerusalem and Mecca are the same direction in Istanbul but but then why are there such different accounts in the newspaper?
rossum said:
Check your geography. Both Jerusalem and Mecca are south of Istanbul.

rossum
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I thought CAF was a place to ask questions and help others. Sorry I ever asked.
 
That is the problem when Christians and non-Chtistians appear to be prying together, are they worshiping the same God. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod does not allow joint worship in official acts. But then again the RCC says that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.
 
yes I’m familiar with Islamic practices and teachings thank you.
AmericanMuslim said:
I read he did face Mecca and did remove his shoes in both mosques. Granted, that was in the secular press.

Removing shoes in a mosque is traditional, just as covering the head in a synagogue. For mosques there’s actually a core practical reason - people don’t want to prostrate on floors that people have tracked mud on 😃

Although I understand that the symbolism of “praying toward Mecca” might be alarming to a non-Muslim, it’s actually not “praying towards a Muslim symbol” but rather praying towards the Ka’aba. The Ka’aba (that black square building you see when TV news shows Mecca) contains an altar that according to Muslim tradition was built by Abraham. Muslims face the altar when they pray (regardless of where they are). The city of Mecca is not important - it’s the altar of Abraham.

So you could just as easily say the Pope faced the altar of Abraham when he prayed.

Actually, whether he was facing Jerusalem or facing Mecca, he was facing towards one of the symbols of one of the other great Abrahamic faiths (Judaism or Islam, respectively).
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My guess is that the Pope simply prayed in the same direction as everyone else, so as to not draw undo attention unto himself. Mecca/the Alter of Abraham will always be in the same direction relative to the building, so it might have been built so that it is only logical to worship in that direction.

Since Benedict is the Pope after all, him praying towards a different direction would be, at the very least, extremely distracting.
 
Aydan said:
I was recently involved in a discussion with a woman who is a former Christian with Catholic background. She was telling me that the pope prayed towards Mecca while visiting the blue Mosque in Turkey. She said it was perfectly okay for Catholics to pray facing Mecca with Muslims. I found some news accounts saying that he did pray towards Mecca other accounts said he did not he prayed facing east toward Jerusalem. Are there any credible Catholic sources telling us what really happened available? Also why did the pope remove his shoes while visiting the mosque in Turkey but not remove them when he visited the mosque in Jordan? I find his actions rather perplexing to say the least. Are Catholics really allowed to pray facing Mecca? :confused:
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Among other things what I found perplexing was the time the Pope turned his crucifix around when he visited a mosque. I would not recommend any Christian to comprise his or her faith in Jesus Christ to satisfy the whims of those who practice islam. That includes turning a crucifix around, facing mecca, praying in a mosque or say that God the Father is the same as allah. Not even once is the name God the Father mentioned in the koran, and it’s strange how some people believe God is allah, but to muslims allah is not God the Father.
 
When did he turn his crucifix around?? When I was in Turkey and visited the Blue Mosque and another one, none of us turned around the Crucifix we wore, and we were not told we had to hide any of our Catholic medals. Just wondering where you found this information? Thank you.
 
“The pope did not pray together with the mufti, but turning towards the East he prayed next to the mufti and not in the same manner, Poglia explained. That of standing side by side represents how followers of different faiths can stand next to each other in prayer, which is the most pure act in any religion, and together can renew fraternity, peace and forgiveness. Those few minutes are the defeat of conflict between religions”
thebereancall.org/node/2647
“Pope Benedict has wound up a visit to Turkey amid praise from the local press for visiting Istanbul’s Blue Mosque and praying towards Mecca”
abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200612/s1802586.htm
This is what I mean there are two different stories so how do we know what really happened?

:confused::mad:
 
y’all this worry’s me is the pope saying that allah and our God are the same cause there not are God is the Father and truth
 
CountrySteve said:
y’all this worry’s me is the pope saying that allah and our God are the same cause there not are God is the Father and truth
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The Pope says it…and so did Vatican II:

“The Church regards with esteem also the Muslims. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even his inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. (Nostra Aetate 3)”

catholic.com/thisrock/quickquestions/keyword/Islam
 
I just found out that this lady left the church and converted to Islam. No wonder she was trying to get me to pray in the direction of Mecca. Thank you to all for your responses.
 
Aydan said:
I just found out that this lady left the church and converted to Islam. No wonder she was trying to get me to pray in the direction of Mecca. Thank you to all for your responses.
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What are you talking about? I am not a lady - I am male.

It’s true I’m an ex-Catholic but I never attempted to convert anyone…I merely explained Islamic beliefs in the context of the Pope’s visit.

I’m curious why you think I’m a “lady”.
 
Aydan said:
I **was recently involved in a discussion with a woman who is a former Christian with Catholic background. She was telling me that the pope prayed towards Mecca while visiting the blue Mosque in Turkey. She said it was perfectly okay for Catholics to pray facing Mecca with Muslims. I found some news accounts saying that he did pray towards Mecca other accounts said **he did not he prayed facing east toward Jerusalem. Are there any credible Catholic sources telling us what really happened available? Also why did the pope remove his shoes while visiting the mosque in Turkey but not remove them when he visited the mosque in Jordan? I find his actions rather perplexing to say the least. Are Catholics really allowed to pray facing Mecca? :confused:
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AmericanMuslim said:
What are you talking about? I am not a lady - I am male.

It’s true I’m an ex-Catholic but I never attempted to convert anyone…I merely explained Islamic beliefs in the context of the Pope’s visit.

I’m curious why you think I’m a “lady”.
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I wasn’t talking TO YOU or about YOU I was talking about a woman who I had talked to.
 
Aydan said:
I wasn’t talking TO YOU or about YOU I was talking about a woman who I had talked to.
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My apologies. There was a woman in a different thread who confused me with someone else and I thought it was spreading 😊
 
AmericanMuslim said:
The Pope says it…and so did Vatican II:

“The Church regards with esteem also the Muslims. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even his inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. (Nostra Aetate 3)”

catholic.com/thisrock/quickquestions/keyword/Islam
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so does the VAtican state that muslims go to heaven even though they deny the Holy Trinity
 
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