VATICAN CITY — The pope's upcoming trip to Turkey will include a meeting with a Muslim cleric who was one of the first to denounce Benedict XVI for his remarks on Islam and violence.

The pilgrimage, which begins Tuesday and continues through Dec. 1 was born out of Benedict's desire to meet with the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, as the pope pursues closer relations with other Christian denominations.

But Benedict's first papal visit to a Muslim country quickly turned into a test of Catholic-Muslim relations after his Sept. 12 speech provoked an outcry in the Muslim world. The pope quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor describing Islam as a religion spread by the sword.

One of the first to denounce Benedict's speech was Turkey's president for religious affairs, Ali Bardakoglu, a top Islamic cleric who said criticism of Islam threatened world peace. Benedict and Bardakoglu will meet within hours of the pope's arrival in Ankara, the Turkish capital. The pope will also deliver a speech during his encounter with the cleric, the Vatican said.

Benedict has offered his regrets that his speech caused offense and has stressed that the quotes did not reflect his personal opinion. He has also expressed esteem for Islam.

Immediately after arriving in Ankara, the pope will visit the mausoleum of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, revered by Turks who share his fierce dedication to secularism.

Concerns have been growing about the rising profile of Islam in the predominantly Muslim but officially secular country. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has worried secularists by supporting religious schools and speaking out against restrictions on wearing Islamic-style head scarves in government offices and schools.

On Saturday, Erdogan was booed by thousands at the funeral of the late Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, an ardent secularist.