ISTANBUL, Turkey - Pope Benedict XVI joined an Islamic cleric in prayers under the towering dome of Istanbul's most famous mosque Thursday in a powerful gesture seeking to transform his image among Muslims from adversary to peacemaker.

Pope Benedict XVI, right, is greeted by Istanbul's Mufti Mustafa Cagrici outside the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006. The pope visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul on the third day of his four-day trip to Turkey. [AP]

The pope's minute of prayer was done in silence, but the message of reconciliation was designed to resonate loudly nearly three months after he provoked worldwide fury for remarks on violence and the Prophet Muhammad.

"This visit will help us find together the way of peace for the good of all humanity," the pope said inside the 17th-century Blue Mosque - in only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship. Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, made a brief stop in a mosque in Syria in 2001.

1

2

3