May it lead to his speaking against these crimes. From The Associated Press, with thanks to Looney Tunes:
VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI held a private audience Friday with Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos, who gave the pontiff an album of photographs of destroyed churches in northern Cyprus under the Turkish occupation.
After Benedict welcomed the Cypriot at the entrance to his library in the Apostolic Palace, the president showed the leather-bound album to the pontiff, who looked upset as he leafed through the pages. Some the pictures showed churches reduced to rubble, while others had been converted to restaurants, shops or other secular uses.
“Such destruction … incredible,” Benedict uttered, according to pool reporters who covered the greeting before the pontiff and the president began their private talks.
A Vatican statement singled out “with satisfaction” that Catholics on the island enjoy religious freedom. The Greek Cypriot population of Cyprus is largely Orthodox.
“The pope was very upset and expressed feelings of deep concern,” Papadopoulos later said of Benedict’s reaction to the photographs. “We all know his concern and deep interest in the preservation of churches and freedom of religion.”
In Northern Cyprus, Ahmet Okan, adviser to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on political and cultural issues, said that while there were destroyed and converted churches on the Turkish side there were also several destroyed Ottoman Turkish buildings in the south. In a telephone conversation with The Associated Press, he contended that Turkish Cypriot calls for joint projects to restore Christian and Ottoman buildings were constantly being rebuffed by the Greek Cypriots.
Sure.