ANKARA - Pope Benedict put his Turkish hosts at ease on his first day in Ankara by launching into an impromptu soft shoe act at an airport reception, pausing at just the right moments to toss off one-liners. "It's so hot in Ankara," the Pope riffed, "that I saw a fire hydrant chasing a dog. Rimshot!" The delighted Muslims called for two encores and threw Turkish coins at the Pontiff.Benedict's vaudeville routine went a long way toward making up for a speech in Germany last September when he quoted a Byzantine emperor who said Islam was violent and irrational. The speech prompted some Muslims to behave violently and irrationally.
The only tense moment during the reception occurred when a motorcycle on an adjoining street backfired. The Pope dove to the ground and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Christians, get down! Mercy, they're going to kill us all!" It quickly became apparent that the Pope was in no danger, and an embarrassed Benedict defused the tension by again launching into a soft shoe.
