Pope urges interfaith action against ISIL threat

Pope Francis condemned the ISIL assault on Christians and other religions minorities in Iraq and Syria, as he arrived Friday in Turkey to encourage Muslim leaders to take a stronger stand against armed groups who twist religion to justify attacks on innocents.

In Ankara, Francis reaffirmed that military force was justified to halt the advance of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), but called for greater dialogue between Christians, Muslims and people of all faiths to end fundamentalism.

"Fanaticism and fundamentalism, as well as irrational fears which foster misunderstanding and discrimination, need to be countered by the solidarity of all believers," Francis told Turkish officials at President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's massive new presidential palace.

Francis praised Turkey's welcome of some 1.6 million refugees and said the international community had the "moral obligation" to help Ankara provide for them.

Francis faces a delicate mission in Turkey, a majority Muslim but constitutionally secular state, in strengthening ties with religious leaders while condemning violence against Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.

Beyond the geopolitical issues, the three-day visit will give Francis a chance to reach out to Turkey's tiny Catholic community — less than 1 percent of Turks is Catholic — and visit with the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

"My wish is that Turkey, which is a natural bridge between the two continents, is not just a point of intersection, but at the same time a point where men and women belonging to all cultures, ethnicity and religion live together in dialogue," Francis wrote in a guest book at the mausoleum.

Turkey's Christian population has dwindled over the past century and minority groups fear Erdogan's roots in Islamist politics mean it is moving in an ever less tolerant direction.

Before the meeting with Erdogan, Francis visited the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded the modern secular Turkish state in 1923.

"It is essential that all citizens — Muslim, Jewish and Christian — both in the provision and practice of the law, enjoy the same rights and respect the same duties," Francis said.

Wire services