Pope wishes to overcome Orthodox-Catholic 'obstacles' during Turkey visit

VATICAN CITY

Pope Francis gestures at the end of his weekly general audience on Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on Oct 22. AFP photo

Pope Francis said Oct. 24 he wished to overcome the obstacles between the Orthodox and the Catholic churches during his visit to Turkey late November.
      
The pope is expected to meet the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I  during his visit in the country.


According to the Vatican press office, Pope Francis said he wished to "overcome through love and truth the obstacles that still divide us." 

He made the remarks in his address to the Orientale Lumen Foundation.

He also said he hoped to build stronger ties between the two churches.

Pope Francis will be the fourth pope to visit Turkey, following Pope Paul  VI in 1967, Pope John Paul II in 1979 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

The Vatican spokesman had announced earlier this week that the pope would touch down on Turkish soil at 1 p.m on Nov. 28, arriving in Ankara before he visits Istanbul on Nov. 30.