Pope seeks prayers for trip; Turkish security to be unprecedented

Published: 2006-11-27

ANKARA, Turkey (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI asked for prayers for his pilgrimage to Turkey, as the Turkish government announced unprecedented security measures to protect the pontiff and the Vatican confirmed the pope would visit a mosque during his trip. A demonstration against the visit in Istanbul, meanwhile, drew a smaller-than-expected crowd of anti-pope protesters. In Ankara, where the pope was scheduled to arrive Nov. 28, government officials played down tensions and predicted the papal visit would help advance Christian-Islamic dialogue. In a last-minute addition to the papal schedule, the Vatican said the pope would stop briefly Nov. 30 at Istanbul's renowned Blue Mosque as a sign of respect toward Muslims. He will become the second pope in history to enter a Muslim place of worship; Pope John Paul II visited a mosque in Syria in 2001. The Vatican also confirmed that the pope would meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan upon arriving at the Ankara airport, just before Erdogan leaves the country for a NATO summit.

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