POPE IS IN TURKEY !

A Warm Welcome to Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in Turkey on Tuesday as the formal guest of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the pope at Ankara's Esenboga Airport. The pope will stay in Turkey for four days.

Pope Benedict XVI meets Turkish Premier Erdogan

Pope Benedict XVI met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Ankara's Esenboga Airport on Tuesday. The meeting was closed to press members. Following the meeting, Erdogan will leave for Riga, Latvia to attend NATO heads of state & government summit.

POPE'S SCHEDULE IN TURKEY

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Turkish capital of Ankara today upon invitation of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The pope was welcomed by Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Esenboga Airport. Pope Benedict XVI will begin his official talks in Ankara by meeting PM Erdogan at the airport. After his meeting with the pontiff and before flying to Latvia for the NATO summit, Erdogan is expected to hold a press conference. The pope will visit Anitkabir, the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the Founder of Turkish Republic. Later, he will be welcomed by a state ceremony by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer at the Presidential Palace in Cankaya. Sezer and Pope Benedict XVI will discuss ways to enhance mutual understanding and cooperation, and exchange views about some regional and international topics during their meeting which will follow the state ceremony. After receiving Turkish State Minister & Deputy PM Mehmet Ali Sahin, Pope Benedict XVI will meet Ali Bardakoglu, the head of Religious Affairs DG. A statement is expected to be released afterwards. Within the scope of his official visit to Ankara, the pope will receive diplomatic mission chiefs at the Vatican Embassy in Ankara, have his dinner at the embassy building and spend the night there. Proceeding to Aegean city of Izmir tomorrow morning, the pontiff will conduct a religious ceremony at the Virgin Mary Church in Selcuk town. Pope Benedict XVI will then fly to Istanbul, and visit Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. The pope will attend a religious ceremony at the patriarchate on November 30th, and address people from the balcony. He will visit the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque the same day. The pontiff will also conduct a religious ceremony at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Istanbul on Friday, and depart from Turkey.

POPE TO BE PROTECTED WITH TIGHTEST SECURITY MEASURES

Pope Benedict XVI will be guarded with tightest security measures during his visit to Turkey. The police will take the same measures they took during U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to capital Ankara in 2004. Not only special forces teams, but also the security forces will surround Ankara's Esenboga Airport as the pontiff's plane lands. The pope will also be protected by his own bodyguards, the Presidential bodyguards, and dignitary protection teams of the Ankara Police Department. Pope's vehicle will be followed by a car that carries a frequency scrambler. But, this will not affect the radios used by the bodyguards. Civilian police officers will be deployed in the vicinity when the pontiff is visiting Anitkabir, the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the Founder of the Republic of Turkey. Snipers and special force teams will be on roofs of the buildings. After Pope Benedict XVI visits the Presidential Palace in Cankaya district, he will proceed to the Religious Affairs building. Also security measures will be tightened through the routes he will pass. Also, tight security measures will be taken around the Vatican Embassy in Ankara, where the pontiff will stay, till the morning of November 29th, when the pontiff will depart from Ankara. Around 3,000 police officers have taken position in several places in Ankara to ensure security.

SECURITY AT AIRPORT

Before the pope arrived in Ankara, all vehicles entering the Esenboga Airport underwent a tight security check. Special teams were deployed at the apron, and a helicopter flew over the airport.

MEDIA

Around 2,000 journalists have been accredited to cover the visit. A press center has been opened at the Hilton Hotel for Turkish and foreign journalists. Only state-run TRT and Anadolu Agency will cover Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Anitkabir. TRT will broadcast the visit live and without a logo, while related photographs can be obtained from the Anadolu Agency. Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI will use English, French and Italian during his stay in Turkey.

THIRD POPE TO BE HOSTED BY TURKEY

Pope Benedict XVI is the third pope visiting Turkey. Pope Paul VI was hosted in Turkey in 1967, and Pope John Paul II visited Turkey in 1979. Both Pope Paul VI and Jean Paul II visited Turkey to participate in Saint Andreas mass at the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

Pope Benedict XVI @ Anitkabir

Pope Benedict XVI is paying a visit to Anitkabir, the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the Founder of Turkish Republic. Pope arrived in Anitkabir at 2.10 p.m. on Tuesday after having an audience with Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Esenboga Airport. Tight security measures are in place in and around the mausoleum.

PM Erdogan calls efforts of Pope protestors "empty"

In Ankara today, prior to his meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at Esenboga Airport was supposed to take place, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reserved criticism for recent protests against the visit by the leader of the Catholic world. Erdogan characterized efforts to turn the Pope's visit into political gain by certain groups "empty."

Addressing his ruling AKP group in Ankara earlier in the day, Erdogan talked about the Pope being the special guest of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, saying "There is no doubt that we will outdo ourselves as a people and a nation in showing the Pope hospitality. I hope that this visit, to which we are attaching great importance, will contribute to our efforts for alliances between civilizations and global peace."

Neither 'Popemobile' nor bullet proof vest for the Pope

Pope Benedict XVI has reportedly ignored warnings to him from certain circles that his life may be in danger during his visit to Turkey, which begins today. The "Popemobile," which was prepared especially for papal tours, will not be used by Benedict XVI in Turkey, nor will the Pope be wearing a special bullet proof vest.

President Sezer to present Pope with silk rug

Though the Pope has not yet arrived in Turkey, there is not much mystery as to the presents to be exchanged in Ankara when Benedict XVI meets up with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Sources report that Sezer will be presenting Pope Benedict XVI will a silk rug, silver, and a Kutahya porcelain plate, while the Pope presents Sezer with a specially bound edition of documents dating back to the first relations between the Vatican and the Ottoman Empire.
Prime Ministerial sources also report that it is likely that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be presenting the Pope with a present at Esenboga Airport, though whether it will be silver or a porcelain plate has not been confirmed. The head of Turkey's Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ali Bardakoglu, will be presenting the Pope with an English version of "Mesnevi," a work by Mevlana, as well as a picture done in traditional Turkish "ebru" style painting.