Tight security in Turkey ahead of papal visit

Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey will be the focus of a heavy security presence in Ankara and Istanbul, where the pope will reside for the majority of his visit.

In a visit that had been pencilled in as an opportunity to reconnect with Patriarch Bartholomew's Orthodox Christian community, the pope will also become only the second pontiff to visit a mosque.

Since Benedict's September speech in Germany - in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor who remarked that Islam was a violent religion - Muslims throughout the world have expressed anger at the papacy for a refusal to fully apologise.

As a result of the anger displayed by protesters, the pope will travel in an armoured and covered car, rather than the infamous 'popemobile'.

Before leaving Rome, Reuters quote the pope as saying: "The scope of this visit is dialogue, brotherhood, a commitment for understanding between cultures, between religions, for reconciliation."

Pope Benedict will also visit a site near the Aegean port of Izmir, where the Virgin Mary is believed to have lived and died.