STANDING TALL

Pope Francis in Turkey Urges Solidarity

Urges aid for refugees.

While in Turkey on his first visit to a Muslim-majority country as pontiff, Pope Francis said Friday that in the face of “fanaticism and fundamentalism, as well as irrational fears which foster misunderstanding and discrimination,” all citizens need to counter with “the solidarity of all believers.” While Francis was greeted by cannon salutes and a horse-drawn parade, reports out of the capital Ankara have noted none of the thousands usually lining the streets for a visit by the popular pontiff. The pope also called for aiding refugees from Syria and Iraq, and condemned extremism, declaring that the Middle East has “for too long been a theater of fratricidal wars.”