The importance of this meeting was already evident from the presence of His Allholiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Armenian Patriarch Sahag II Maschalian. Furthermore, the Chief Rabbi of Istanbul Isaak Haleva, high-ranking Armenian Protestant delegates and the bishops of the individual Catholic dioceses were also welcomed in the Salesian rooms. The former Federal President was accompanied by the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Istanbul, Johannes Regenbrecht.

The arrival of the various guests for a meeting at the invitation of a political great in Turkey was already a telling sight and attracted curious visitors on the street. Upon the arrival of former Federal President Wulff, the opportunity arose to greet the six Sisters of the Community "Verbo Incarnato" who had just arrived in Istanbul. He immediately took this spontaneous meeting as an opportunity to make clear his basic understanding of fraternal living together by recalling Pope Francis' encyclical "Fratelli Tutti".

"The Holy Father has given us a gift with this text," said the former Federal President, "with it he shows the path we should take." In the spirit of this approach to one another, the honest and intensive exchange with the political representatives and the representatives of the religions then also took place. A group picture, which will probably remain unique in this constellation, rounded off the meeting.

"For us, the event was a great honour," explains Father Jacky Doyen, Director of the Salesians of Don Bosco in Istanbul. "The talks took place under the eyes of Don Bosco. This must also be an incentive for us to create more and more openness for a diverse coexistence. Here in Istanbul and in other houses of the Congregation."

Fr. Simon Härting, SDB

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