Turkey wants the remains of old St Nick

[didymus]

France24:

Turkey wants the remains of old St Nick

**AFP - **Turkey will ask for the return of the bones of Saint Nicholas, who Father Christmas is modelled on, from their display in Italy, local media reported on Friday.
Saint Nicholas, from the modern-day town of Demre on southern Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, is, according to tradition, the ancestor of Father Christmas, but his remains were stolen by Italian pirates in the 11th century

“These bones should be exposed here and not in a town of pirates” in Bari, said Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay, quoted in the newspaper Milliyet.
“If we build a museum in this town (Demre), naturally the first thing we will ask for are the remains of Father Christmas”.!!!]

What’s Turkish for “yeah, right”?

 

[dzheremi]

Recognize the slaughter of the indigenous Assyrian and Armenian Christians by the Turkish government (and the thousands of Greek Christians, too) during the WWI-era genocide/seyfo, then we’ll talk about what Turkey feels it deserves.

You rape the land, attempt to exterminate the people, and now you come to bother the Italians to give you the bones of a SAINT so that you can open a “museum”? You bastards turned the Hagia Sophia into a “museum” too. I think we as Christians worldwide should say no to any more Turkish “museums” to the faith that they are killing, OUR faith.

Bu asla olmayacak, sizi piçler. Rüyanda görürsün.

 

[Mark_F]

The bones of Saint Nick belong to the Roman Catholic Church and not any country. Stop persecuting Catholics in Turkey.

 

[exoflare]

What reason do they think Italy has to comply with their request?

 

[Shellac]

Recognize the slaughter of the indigenous Assyrian and Armenian Christians by the Turkish government (and the thousands of Greek Christians, too) during the WWI-era genocide/seyfo, then we’ll talk about what Turkey feels it deserves.

You rape the land, attempt to exterminate the people, and now you come to bother the Italians to give you the bones of a SAINT so that you can open a “museum”? You bastards turned the Hagia Sophia into a “museum” too. I think we as Christians worldwide should say no to any more Turkish “museums” to the faith that they are killing, OUR faith.

Bu asla olmayacak, sizi piçler. Rüyanda görürsün.

Too right M8.!!!

 

[Fergal]

Well they had better gets their directions right!! They are looking in the wrong place after all.

Here’s a little Irish Poem for y’all…

Where lie the bones of Santa Claus
To what holy spot each pilgrim draws
Which crypt conceals his pious remains
Safe from the wild wind, snows and rains.

It’s not in Rome his body lies
Or under Egypt’s azure skies
Constantinople or Madrid
His reliquary and bones are hid.

That saint protector of the child
Whose relics pure lie undefiled
His casket safe within it’s shrine
Where the shamrocks grow and rose entwine.

Devout wayfarer, cease your search
For in Kilkenny’s ancient church
Saint Nicholas’ sepulcher is found
Enshrined in Ireland’s holy ground.

So traveler rest and pray a while
To the patron saint of orphaned child
Whose bones were brought to Ireland’s shore
Safe from the Vandal, Hun and Moor.

Here lie the bones of Santa Claus
Secure beneath these marble floors
So gentle pilgrim, hear the call
And may Saint Nicholas bless you all.

And the Proof???

See here… stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=565

 

[didymus]

Well they had better gets their directions right!! They are looking in the wrong place after all.

Here’s a little Irish Poem for y’all…

. . . . .

So traveler rest and pray a while
To the patron saint of orphaned child
Whose bones were brought to Ireland’s shore
Safe from the Vandal, Hun and Moor.

Here lie the bones of Santa Claus
Secure beneath these marble floors
So gentle pilgrim, hear the call
And may Saint Nicholas bless you all.

Well, we don’t have to worry about Huns or Vandals anymore. Let’s just hope that the Turks don’t demand the remains from Ireland as well as Italy just to make sure.

 

[redrosetea]

I wonder how good the diplomatic relations are between Turkey and Rome

I can’t recall l but I think there might have been s bit of difficulties over the year of St Paul and traveling in Turkey…

My guess is they want them back because they smell money…I think Turkey is almost entirely Muslim

 

[rlg94086]

My first thought upon seeing the title:

I think I was still eating the remains of turkey (i.e. leftovers) on St Nick’s feast day…

 

[redrosetea]

I hope Rome says no…Theses aren’t just some do dads they are relics…resting in peace in Rome…It isn’t as if they haven’t been respected nor given a decent burial…nor are they not available for the Russians to venerate…There are flights going to Italy every day from most parts of the world I would venture to say

I could understand if the remains had been desecrated ,or not been treated reverently, but I don’t think it is the duty of Rome to give in to demands for money making schemes

 

[peary1]

France24:

What’s Turkish for “yeah, right”?

If the request was made by the Eastern Catholic Church in that country, I think the bones should be returned. But Turkey is a Muslim country and though it’s government is secular, practically everyone who is employed in it is Muslim. What business does the Turkish government have in requesting the bones of a Catholic saint be returned to the country? They should mind their own business.