From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Pope Benedict XVIth, mending fences in Turkey.

Hello again, I'm Mormon Alnian, this is To the Poet from Public Radio International,

a daily look of the issues Americans care about most.

In September, the Pope made a controversial speech quoting a Byzantine emperor who attacked

Islam as a violent religion. Before he was Pope, he said Turkey's Muslim character should keep it

out of the European Union. But in Ankara today, he called Turkey a bridge between the religions,

and he supported its membership in the EU.

On to the point, will the people of Turkey accept the Pope's call for a dialogue between the religions?

Will his message of reconciliation help resolve growing tensions between Christianity and Islam?

On reporter's notebook later on, is there a new case of lost votes in Florida? First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John D. and

Catherine T. McArthur Foundation. Hello again,

Mormon Alney, back with To the Point after angering Turks and Muslims all over the world.

Pope Benedict XVIth arrived in Turkey today with a message of reconciliation. On To the Point,

can he reassure the Turks about membership in the European Union? Can he help resolve growing

tensions between Christianity and Islam? On

reporter's notebook in Florida, shades of the 2000 election without hanging chads, did 18,000

electronic votes go uncounted in a race for Congress. First, this news update in Latvia today,

President Bush gave a preview of his meeting with Iraq's prime minister later this week.

Tomorrow I'm going to travel to Jordan, where I will meet with the prime minister of Iraq.

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