Pope and Orthodox patriarch at service in Istanbul

Pope Benedict XVI and the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians prayed together in an Istanbul church today, a service intended to underline their commitment to try to heal the 1,000-year-old rift between the two churches.

Benedict went to St George Church at the start of his third day in Turkey and embraced Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I – called the “first among equals” of the Orthodox leaders.

Their meeting was watched with suspicion in Turkey as possible challenges to state-imposed limits on Christian minorities and others.

Benedict has declared a “fundamental” commitment to try to heal rifts between the two ancient branches of Christianity, which split nearly 1,000 years ago over disputes including papal authority.

Thousands of police lined the pope’s route in one of the biggest security operations in Turkish history.