Monday, November 03, 2008

Battling for religious freedom


BBC NEWS | Europe | Battling for religious freedom
From the outside, it looks just like any other church.

But St Paul's church in Tarsus, south-eastern Turkey, is actually a museum controlled by the government.

Christian campaigners want it to be handed over for religious use.

But the Turkish government has told the BBC that is "out of the question".

The church is so significant because it stands in Tarsus, the birthplace of St Paul. His status as a towering figure in the history of Christianity means the town is a growing centre for Christian pilgrimage.

But at the moment, access to what was once the town's church is tightly controlled by the Turkish tourism ministry.

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