Pope Francis arrives in Istanbul
- 9 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
Pope Francis arrived in Istanbul on Saturday (November 29), on a three-day trip that will try to balance strengthening ties with Muslim leaders with offering condemnation of violence against Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.
His three-day trip comes as Islamic State insurgents have captured swathes of Iraq and Syria just over Turkey's southern borders, declaring an Islamic caliphate and killing or driving out Shi'ite Muslims, Christians and others who do not share their ultra-radical brand of Sunni Islam.
In Istanbul, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics will meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual head of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, as part of an effort to forge closer ties between the ancient western and eastern wings of Christianity.
They are expected to issue joint calls on human rights and religious freedom as well as warn that Christianity is disappearing from its
Pope Francis arrived in Istanbul on Saturday (November 29), on a three-day trip that will try to balance strengthening ties with Muslim leaders with offering condemnation of violence against Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.
His three-day trip comes as Islamic State insurgents have captured swathes of Iraq and Syria just over Turkey's southern borders, declaring an Islamic caliphate and killing or driving out Shi'ite Muslims, Christians and others who do not share their ultra-radical brand of Sunni Islam.
In Istanbul, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics will meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual head of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, as part of an effort to forge closer ties between the ancient western and eastern wings of Christianity.
They are expected to issue joint calls on human rights and religious freedom as well as warn that Christianity is disappearing from its