The Vatican is neutral
On August 22 we discussed an interview given by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the powerful prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to Le Figaro in which he said that Turkey should seek to join Islamic nations rather than the European...
On August 22 we discussed an interview given by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the powerful prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to Le Figaro in which he said that Turkey should seek to join Islamic nations rather than the European Union.
We also asked whether Cardinal Ratzinger's position was that of the Vatican. We said that one doubted whether he would have explained such an opinion had that not been the official position.
We are happy to say that it is not. In an interview with the Turin newspaper La Stampa, Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, Vatican secretary for relations with states, said that the Vatican does not have an official position on Turkey's entrance in the EU, and considers that the decision must be made according to EU rules.
He clarified that "in the case of adherence, Turkey must satisfy all the political criteria set forth at the Copenhagen Summit in December 2002". These criteria include the complete guarantee of human rights as well as full individual and corporate religious freedom, "founded on the dignity of man".
As expected, Archbishop Lajola emphasised the need for religious freedom in Turkey. He stated that this should not only be guaranteed at the level of the Constitution, legislation and administration, but must also be effectively protected in the concrete aspects of the social fabric.
The interview of the Vatican's secretary for relations with states clarifies a matter which could have been unnecessarily clouded.