Pope Benedict has visited one of Turkey’s most famous mosques, making him only the second pontiff in history to set foot in a Muslim house of worship.

In dramatic scenes broadcast on Turkish television, the Pope turned towards Mecca in a gesture of Muslim prayer while in the nation’s famous Blue Mosque, at the suggestion of the Islamic cleric accompanying him.

He then crossed his hands across his midriff in the Muslim attitude of worship and remained for several seconds with his eyes closed, reported Agence France Presse.

The striking gestures appeared to be part of the Pope’s efforts to appease Muslims in the wake of anger caused by comments made earlier this year, in which he quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor linking violence with Islam.

The Vatican said it had added the visit to the mosque to the Pope’s schedule as a "sign of respect" during his first papal trip to a Muslim nation. His predecessor, John Paul II, visited a mosque in Syria in 2001.

The Pope removed his shoes before entering the carpeted expanse of the mosque, known as the Sultan Ahmet Mosque after the Ottoman sultan Ahmet I, who ordered its construction. It is widely called the Blue Mosque after its elaborate blue tiles.

"This visit will help us find together the way of peace for the good of all humanity," the pontiff said before leaving the 17th-century mosque. Receiving a gift of a glazed tile decorated with a dove and a painting showing a view of the Sea of Marmara, he gave the imam in return a painting showing four doves. "Let us pray for brotherhood and for all humanity," the Pope said in Italian.

Since arriving in Turkey on Tuesday, the Pope has offered wide-ranging messages of reconciliation to Muslims, including appeals for greater understanding and support for Turkey’s steps to become the first Muslim nation in the EU.

The visit to the Blue Mosque followed a highly sensitive tour of the Haghia Sophia museum, a 1,500-year-old complex which was for centuries a centre of Christianity. In 1453 it was converted to a mosque during the Muslim conquest of what was then Constantinople, now Istanbul.

The site remained that way until 1935, when it was converted to a museum under the secular Turkish republic proclaimed in 1923. It remains a key landmark signifying Christianity’s ancient roots in Turkey.

The Pope’s visit to the complex has been highly charged, viewed by hardline Muslims as an attempt to reclaim the building as a bastion of Christianity. As early as this morning, dozens of protestors linked to an Islamic nationalist party had gathered at the building, waving banners reading "Pope get out of Turkey", and chanting "Aya Sofya is Turkish and will remain Turkish".

Police earlier arrested one man trying to make a speech at a police barricade, but after a short stand-off with several hundred riot police the crowd, vastly outnumbered by security authorities, peacefully dispersed.

Nonetheless, officials were taking no chances in regard to the security of the pontiff, and his arrival at the site was heralded by a massive operation, including snipers standing on minarets. Police also surveyed the area by helicopter.

Pope Benedict is not the first pontiff to trigger controversy by visiting the site – in 1967 there was outrage when Pope Paul VI prayed at the museum, causing a diplomatic incident.

He has also addressed the 1,000 rift between the Vatican and the Orthodox Church, meeting with the leader of the world’s Orthodox community, in what was a. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I,

On what was the third and busiest day of his tour, the pope also attended a mass with the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, shifting the focus of his landmark trip on mending relations between the two churches.

The visit to St George’s church in Istanbul with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I – leader of the world’s 250 million Orthodox Christians – marked a deeply symbolic display of unity, and came amidst talks between the two, aimed at healing a historical rift that has dogged the churches for almost ten centuries.

Bridging the rift between the Vatican and Orthodox Christians is a high priority for the leaders of both churches, and was originally the main reason for the pontiff’s visit.

The two branches of Christianity – Eastern and Western - split in the Great Schism of 1054, over disputes on theology and papal authority. Discussions on how to mend the long-standing division will continue today, with the Pope and Bartholomew I later due to issue a joint statement on their hopes for reconciliation.

This morning’s service, which marks the feast of St Andrew – the Orthodox Church’s patron saint - was itself aimed at symbolising a bringing together between the two branches. The two leaders embraced at the gate before entering the church, illuminated as it was by imposing chandeliers.

The symbolism of the three-hour ritual is also significant to Roman Catholics. Saint Andrew, who is said to have ordained the first bishop of Constantinople, was a disciple of Jesus and the brother of Saint Peter, who was martyred in Rome and is considered the first Catholic pope.

Speaking after the service, the Pope described divisions among Christians as a "scandal to the world", recalling the faith’s deep-seated roots in Europe. He also repeated his calls for greater freedom for religious minorities

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