Pope Benedict XVI began his visit to Turkey Tuesday with a message of dialogue and "brotherhood" between Christians and Muslims in an attempt to ease anger over his perceived criticism of Islam.

Two months after the Pope touched off fury across the Islamic world with remarks linking violence and the Prophet Mohammad, the Turkish prime minister in a last-minute change of plans was on hand at the airport in Turkey's capital to greet the pontiff.

"All feel the same responsibility in this difficult moment in history, let's work together," Benedict said during his flight from Rome to Ankara, where more than 3,000 police and sharpshooters joined a security effort that surpassed even the visit of US President George W. Bush in 2004.

The Pope used the first moments of his four-day trip to try to mend fences with Islamic leaders.

"We know that the scope of this trip is dialogue and brotherhood and the commitment for understanding between cultures... and for reconciliation," he told reporters on his plane.
 
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the Pope, who wore traditional white robes and a white coat to ward off the chill, at the foot of the plane. The two men shook hands and walked on a red carpet to the heavily guarded airport terminal for a private discussion.

"I want to express happiness to see you and your delegation in our country," Erdogan told the Pope. He described the pope's visit as "very meaningful."

Erdogan, who was bound for a NATO summit in Latvia, had only announced the day before that he would make time to meet Benedict in a nation where many people view the Pope with suspicion. Erdogan's political party has Islamic roots, though the government is secular.

In his first official act, Benedict later visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, and wrote a message in a guest book calling Turkey "a meeting point of different religions and cultures and a bridge between Asia and Europe."

Turkish police monitored the highway leading to Ankara from the airport, where Turkish and Vatican flags waved in a light breeze. Snipers climbed atop buildings and hilltops. In wooded areas along the route, soldiers in camouflage fatigues set up observations points and sniffer dogs passed along bridges.

Benedict's journey is extraordinarily sensitive, a closely watched pilgrimage full of symbolism that could offer hope of religious reconciliation, or deepen what many say is a growing divide between the Christian and Islamic worlds.

The outcome depends partly on the words and gestures of Benedict, who triggered an outcry in September when he quoted a 14th century Christian emperor who characterized the Prophet Mohammad's teachings as "evil and inhuman."

The Vatican said the speech was an attempt to highlight the incompatibility of faith and violence, and Benedict later expressed regret for the violent Muslim backlash.

In Ankara, a small protest was held before the Pope's arrival. "You're not welcome, Pope," read a protest banner.

(China Daily November 29, 2006)