Pope Francis is in Istanbul on his three-day visit to Turkey. The Pontiff visited important religious sites ahead of talks with head of the Orthodox Christian church as part of reunification efforts.  

The pope started his two-day visit to Istanbul visiting the Sultan Ahmed Mosque also known as the Blue Mosque. He was guided by Istanbul’s chief Mufti who recited Koranic verses about the Virgin Mary.

Turkish media reports the pontiff asked for permission to pray. The act was interpreted as a gesture of reconciliation between the faiths, a key part of the pope’s visit. But Vatican officials chose to describe the act as a “silent moment of adoration of God.”

Pope Francis then visited the Hagia Sofia, for a thousand years, Christianity’s most important church that later came under the Ottomans for 500 years as a mosque. The building has been a museum since the formation of the Turkish secular republic.

The pope was to meet Istanbul’s Christian leaders and celebrate mass at the Catholic cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

For Father Franz Kangler, a Catholic priest in Istanbul, there is happiness over the Pontiff’s visit to Istanbul.

“I am just happy because its strengthening the position of the small churches and giving them new hope,” he said.

In the last century Turkey’s Christian community has collapsed, now only accounting for less than one percent of the population.

One member of the city’s Catholic community welcomed the pope’s visit but also has concerns. “Appreciate it that he come to this country, because its very difficult to come in this country, I think because for the security.”

With Islamic State forces just across Turkey’s border and jihadist cells suspected of operating in Istanbul, a massive security operation is in force for the pope’s visit. But the pope refused to use a specially designated armored car, instead requesting what he called a “humble car”.

The pope was to meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who resides in Istanbul and leads more than 250 million members of the Orthodox Church. Among many Christians in Istanbul there is hope the two leaders can give impetus to reunification efforts.

“That is very important that the two representatives of the Orthodox and Catholic church are meeting, and it should be possible to unity, we have to manage it,” a person said. “Because the message of the founder of the Christianity is that of unification and not separation.”

The two leaders have already reportedly struck a good working relationship. The Istanbul meeting is the second encounter in less than a year between the pope and patriarch. Efforts to end the thousand-year division were initiated 50 years ago. According to church officials the pope and patriarch will sign a joint declaration Sunday committing themselves to reunification efforts.
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