Pope Francis condemned the "barbaric violence" perpetrated against Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq on the first day of his visit to Turkey, a country on the front-line of the war against Islamist extremism.

With military aircraft from the US and other countries pounding Isil positions just a few hundred miles from where the Pope spoke in Ankara, he said that the offensive against terrorists was legitimate, but that military action was not a long-term solution.

"In reaffirming that it is licit, while always respecting international law, to stop an unjust aggressor, I wish to reiterate, moreover, that the problem cannot be resolved solely through a military response," he said.

He called for "a concerted commitment on the part of all ... which can pave the way to lasting peace".

The Argentine Pope said the situation in the wider Middle East was "tragic" and described the humanitarian situation as "unbearable".

"Particular concern arises from the fact that, owing mainly to an extremist and fundamentalist group, entire communities - especially, though not exclusively, Christians and Yazidis - have suffered and continued to suffer barbaric violence simply because of their ethnic and religious identity," the Pope said.

Christians had been "forcibly evicted from their homes" and seen their churches desecrated and destroyed by Islamist terrorists.

"Any violence which seeks religious justification warrants the strongest condemnation," he said. The Pope flew from Rome to Ankara at the start of a delicate, three-day visit in which he will seek to balance his outspoken concern for Christians in the Middle East with the need to build bridges with Islam and to strengthen the relationship with the Orthodox Church after a schism dating back to 1054.

After laying a wreath at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic, he was driven to the palace that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had built for himself on the outskirts of the capital.

There had been calls from some Turks for the Pope to boycott the palace, but the Vatican said he had no choice but to accept the invitation. He was met at the vast complex by Mr Erdogan as a military band played and a guard of honour presented arms.

It was an encounter of opposites - the "people's pontiff", who espouses austerity and humility, shaking hands with a man whose unbridled extravagance and increasingly autocratic rule have been sharply criticised by many Turks.

The Pope (77) was the first foreign leader to be received at the 1,000-room palace. He praised Turkey for "generously" taking in the estimated 1.6 million refugees within its borders and said the international community had a "moral obligation" to assist the Turks.

Today, he will fly to Istanbul, where he will visit the Blue Mosque, Turkey's most important place of Muslim worship.

The Pope has received a subdued reception in Turkey, where around 98pc of the population of 76 million is Muslim.

"He seems like a decent man, but I don't really care about his visit," said Ahmet, a carpet seller near the Hagia Sophia, of the pontifical visit. (© Daily Telegraph, London)

Irish Independent