Pope Francis (L) shakes hands with Mufti Rahmi Yaran (R) upon his arrival in front of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul on November 29, 2014 as part of his two-day visit in Turkey. Pope Francis arrived in Turkey yesterday for his first visit to the overwhelmingly Muslim but officially secular state, in a challenging trip aimed at building bridges with Islam and supporting the embattled Christian minorities of the Middle East. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC