In pictures: Pope in Ephesus

Pope Benedict XVI has celebrated Mass in the ancient city of Ephesus in western Turkey.

He was greeted by well-wishers near the house of the Virgin Mary - the venue of the open-air service.

Some 500 Catholics - brought by special invitation - saluted the pontiff, waving Vatican and Turkish flags and palm fronds.

There is only a tiny Catholic community left in the largely Muslim Turkey, and many in the congregation were foreigners.

The Pope offered up a prayer for peace between peoples and talked of Turkey's role as a bridge between nations.

The shrine to the Virgin Mary - a small stone house - is said to be the place where she died.

Security measures are said to be tighter than those taken for US President George W Bush's visit in 2004.

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