Pope brings strength to Turkish Christian minority

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Pope Benedict XVI began his pilgrimage among Turkey's tiny Christian communities by paying homage to an Italian priest slain during Islamic protests and expressing sympathy for the pressures facing religious minorities in the Muslim world. The messages - made at one of the holiest Christian sites in Turkey - could set the tone for the remainder of Benedict's first papal trip to a Muslim nation as he tries to strengthen bonds with the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. The pope is expected to sharpen his calls for what the Vatican calls "reciprocity" - that Muslim demands for greater respect in the West must be matched by increased tolerance and freedoms for Christians in Islamic nations.