Prayer for the Holy Father on His Visit to Turkey

Heavenly Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name, we humbly ask that you sustain, inspire, & protect your servant, Pope Benedict XVI, as he goes on pilgrimage to Turkey – a land to which St. Paul brought the Gospel of your Son; a land where once the Mother of your Son, the Seat of Wisdom, dwelt; a land where faith in your Son’s true divinity was definitively professed. Bless our Holy Father, who comes as a messenger of truth & love to all people of faith & good will dwelling in this land so rich in history. In the power of the Holy Spirit, may this visit of the Holy Father bring about deeper ties of understanding, cooperation, & peace among Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, & those who profess Islam. May the prayers and events of these historic days greatly contribute both to greater accord among those who worship you, the living & true God, & also to peace in our world so often torn apart by war & sectarian violence.
We also ask, O Heavenly Father, that you watch over & protect Pope Benedict & entrust him to the loving care of Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Fatima, a title cherished both by Catholics & Muslims. Through her prayers & maternal love, may Pope Benedict be kept safe from all harm as he prays, bears witness to the Gospel, & invites all peoples to a dialogue of faith, reason, and love. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
--Composed by Bishop William E. Lori