Father John Dupuche

There were so many unforgettable things about the trip, the hospitality of the Turks being one of the most striking. I could easily live in Istanbul. I am a student of history, so I was fascinated to go to places which had so much resonance: Istanbul with its extraordinary history– Istanbul means ‘The city’. Troy – I never thought I would ever visit this site – I had read the Iliad while in my teens and had read books on archaeology; then Antakya with all its memories of the earliest Christian period; Shali-urfa, the former Edessa where the Greek classics had been translated into Arabic and found their way to Spain where they were translated into Latin and helped produced the Middle Ages; Haran where the Abraham heard the Word of God to leave and travel to the promised land. I would never have otherwise been able to visit these places. One of the most unforgettable experiences was the mosque in the evening at Shaliurfa; it was a place of such great calm and beauty: the illuminated sandstone against the cobalt blue sky. Then the House of Mary: its tranquillity and sense of perfume, high in the hills. I found the Turkish people most hospitable and friendly. I felt that they had known empire – the Ottoman Empire – for so many hundreds of years and this produced a breadth of view and a sense of their own value which was pleasing. The children at the school in Gallipoli were a delight: their reverence for their teachers was touching. I felt that there was a willingness on the part of the Turkish people we met to discuss matters of interfaith dialogue. The discussions we had in Istanbul were valuable – and I would have liked to pursue some of the topics which were raised as well as other topics. There is a willingness to open up the big questions without any sense of fear. I was touched by the devotion of Turks towards their own faith and its practices. The mosques and the fidelity of people to the hours of prayer were moving. I also felt I could spend some time in prayer in the mosque at Konya because it was clearly a holy place. I spent time in prayer also at the tomb of Rumi because of the sacred aura that inhabits that extraordinary place. I had heard of Fethullah Gulen before this trip but was most impressed by the range and vigour of the different groups that have been inspired by him. Here is a great opportunity. These are a very few comments on what was a very carefully prepared trip. Our hosts in Turkey are to be congratulated as well as the AIS in Victoria.