Maggie Gallagher reports:

Six centuries after the fall of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew's flock is tiny, perhaps just 2,000 people. But just before taking off, Pope Benedict spoke with reporters on the plane, according to National Catholic Reporter's John Allen: "Numbers don't really count," Benedict said. "It's the symbolic and historical weight (of the office) that matters."

Bringing together "the two sister churches of Rome and Constantinople," the pope said, is a "very important moment in the search for Christian unity." It is, he acknowledged, a symbolic encounter, but one that "is not just empty, but is full of reality."

Maggie also details "the disgraceful state of dhimmitude to which the patriarch of Constantinople and his church remain subject to this day."

Meanwhile, Mehmet Ali Agca wants a meeting with the Pope. Sorry dude: if you want to be in the news again, you'll have to divorce Kid Rock or make an ass of yourself in a standup comedy act or something.