Pope Leo XIV will join the leader of the world's Orthodox Christians Friday to celebrate 1,700 years since one of the early Church's most important gatherings, on the second day of his visit to Turkey.

The American pope began his four-day visit on Thursday in Ankara where he urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to embrace Turkey's role as a source of "stability and rapprochement between peoples" in a world gripped by conflict.

"This land is inextricably linked to the origins of Christianity, and today it beckons the children of Abraham and all humanity to a fraternity that recognises and appreciates differences," he said, before flying to Istanbul where he will stay until Sunday when he travels on to Lebanon.

The 70-year-old pontiff will spend Friday morning with Catholic leaders before

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