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Pope to Turkey

Security High as Benedict XVI Heads for Ankara

Pope Benedict XVI is on his way to Ankara on Tuesday amid heavy security. Many in Turkey don't want him to visit at all. But the pope says the trip will further "dialogue, brotherhood and reconciliation."

As Pope Benedict XVI set off for his journey to Turkey on Tuesday, he once again tried to reduce the tensions that have surrounded his first-ever visit to a predominantly Muslim country.

The trip, he said moments before departure at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport, is one "of dialogue, brotherhood and reconciliation at this difficult moment in history. This is not a political trip but a pastoral one, and is aimed at dialogue and a joint commitment to peace," he said.

Benedict's repetition of the word "dialogue" was likely not accidental -- his trip comes following a weekend of protests in Turkey against the visit with many angry at the pope for his September comments which were perceived by many Muslims to be an affront to the Prophet Muhammad. In a speech in Germany, the pope quoted a 14th century Christian emperor who said Muhammad had brought the world "evil and inhuman" things.

The pope has since apologized for the reactions to his remarks and for the fact that they were misinterpreted. But many in the Muslim world have been demanding a more explicit apology from the Vatican.

With tensions high, security in Ankara, where the pope is heading on Tuesday, and in Istanbul will be at an all-time high -- tighter even, say Turkish officials, than for the visit of US President George W. Bush in June 2004. Some 3,000 police officers will protect the pope during his four-day visit, with police in Ankara taking up positions along the highway into town, snipers placed on rooftops and soldiers in the wooded areas along the route. Police will also be staking out sensitive spots in Istanbul where the pope will be spending most of his time.

Arrival in Ankara is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. local time (1100 GMT)and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be meeting him at the airport, a last minute concession made on Monday after he had threatened not to meet the pope at all due to his controversial comments in September. Immediately after meeting the pope, Erdogan will fly to Riga for the NATO summit meeting beginning on Tuesday evening.

There were scattered demonstrations against the papal visit on Monday in both the Turkish capital Ankara and in Istanbul, with a group of around 100 pro-Islamic activists presenting what they said were 1 million signatures to transform the Haghia Sophia back into a mosque. The 6th century building is now a museum, but was built originally as a Christian church before being changed into a mosque when Islamic armies conquered the city in 1453.

More than 25,000 people showed up to an anti-pope protest on Sunday in Istanbul.

In addition to furthering Christian-Islam dialogue, the pope will also be meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the leader of the world's 300,000 Orthodox Christians, in an attempt to improve relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

cgh/ap/reuters