Weight loss And Diet: Pope in Turkey to boost religious ties

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Pope Francis is making a rare three-day visit to Turkey

He will meet with Turkey's political leaders and join religious celebrations

He was invited by Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church

Turkey is hosting many refugees who've fled violence in Iraq and Syria, including Christians

Ankara (CNN) -- Pope Francis will meet with Turkey's leaders Friday on the first day of a rare papal visit to the predominantly Muslim country.

During his visit, he will also meet the head of the Orthodox Church and voice support for Christians in the region.

The pope's three-day visit, which may be one of the most challenging of his papacy, is intended to strengthen bridges not only between sister churches, but across religious divides.

Francis will have private talks with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara before meeting with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the head of the country's religious affairs directorate, Mehmet Gormez.

The pope will then spend Saturday and Sunday in Istanbul at the invitation of Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church.

The patriarch has asked the pope to take part in celebrations marking the feast of St. Andrew, founder of the Eastern Church and the older brother of St. Peter.

The invitation was first extended at the time of Francis' papal inauguration in March 2013, according to Vatican Radio.

"We are eagerly awaiting the visit of our brother, Pope Francis," Bartholomew is quoted as saying. "It will be yet another significant step in our positive relations as sister churches."

Before meeting privately with Bartholomew on Saturday, Francis will celebrate Mass at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul. He will also attend the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral on Sunday.

Over the past decade, first al Qaeda and then ISIS have forced the majority of Christians to flee Iraq and Syria.

Only a fraction of their former number now remain in areas under ISIS control, deciding to place their faith in God or pay the terrorists a protection tax. Growing numbers, especially from Syria, are ending up in Turkey.

It's a nation already reeling under the influx of around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, the vast majority of them Muslim, and politically uneasy with a controversial and conservative government that its opponents fear will challenge Turkey's post-Ottoman Empire secular identity.

It also faces an atmosphere of increased insecurity, with ISIS at Turkey's border and the extremist group's leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi announcing its intention to conquer Rome and the world.

Kenan Gurdal, deputy director of the Virgin Mary Ancient Assyrian Church Foundation in Istanbul, told CNN that the pope's visit means a lot.

"In a time of chaos in the Middle East, in a time where there is Muslim-Christian fighting, it is a beautiful thing to have a pope visit a Muslim country," he said.

"It is a very positive thing and hopefully this can be a lesson to the world and that it contributes to peace."