Pope urged to avoid Turkish presidential palace on trip

ANKARA , Turkey, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Pope Francis has been urged not to visit the 1,000-room palace of the Turkish president when he visits Turkey later this month

The Pope will visit Ankara and Istanbul on his three-day trip, his first to Turkey, but the itinerary of the man famous for humility and austerity includes a visit to a sprawling new palace -- larger than the White House or Buckingham Palace -- built for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara at a cost of over a half billion dollars.

He would be the first foreign dignitary to visit the palace.

The Turkish Chamber of Architects, a non-governmental organization, urged a change in the Pope's plans, saying in a letter his visit to the two million square-foot structure would "legitimize an illegal construction."

The building, which resembles the White House but significantly larger, has been condemned by many within Turkey as a waste of public money and a symbol of Erdogan's autocratic rule.

"For many Turks this building is a symbol of greed and a hunger for absolute power," commentator Yavuz Baydar, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.