ANKARA (AP) — Pope Leo XIV reached Turkey on Thursday for his inaugural international visit, carrying out Pope Francis' intentions to commemorate a significant Christian milestone and deliver a message of tranquility to the area during a pivotal moment in the endeavors to conclude the conflict in Ukraine and alleviate Mideast tensions.
TL;DR
- Pope Leo XIV visits Turkey for his first international trip, aiming to commemorate a Christian milestone and promote peace.
- The visit coincides with efforts to resolve conflicts in Ukraine and Mideast tensions, with Turkey acting as an intermediary.
- Leo will address diplomatic personnel, engage in interfaith gatherings in Istanbul, and visit the Blue Mosque.
- A key event is commemorating the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in Iznik.
Upon arriving at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport, Leo was greeted by a military honor guard on the tarmac. As he walked down a vibrant turquoise carpet, he exchanged handshakes with The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, alongside other dignitaries and prominent church leaders from Turkey.
Following that, he was scheduled to convene with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and deliver an address to the nation's diplomatic personnel. He will then proceed late Thursday to Istanbul for a three-day period of ecumenical and interfaith gatherings, which will precede the Lebanese portion of his journey.
Addressing journalists while on his aircraft, Leo recognized the significant milestone of his initial international journey and stated his anticipation for it, given its implications for Christians and global harmony.
Leo stated that he understood the significance of the visit, intended to mark a pivotal ecumenical milestone, for individuals of the Christian faith. Nevertheless, he expressed his aspiration that his wider call for tranquility would find an echo across the globe.
“We hope to also announce, transmit and proclaim how important peace is throughout the world. And to invite all people to come together to search for greater unity, greater harmony, and to look for the ways that all men and women can truly be brothers and sisters in spite of differences, in spite of different religions, in spite of different beliefs.”
Leo's trip occurs while Turkey, a nation with over 85 million primarily Sunni Muslim inhabitants, has cast itself as a key intermediary in peace discussions concerning the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Ankara has been the venue for discussions at a lower level between Russia and Ukraine and has put itself forward to participate in the stabilization force in Gaza to aid in maintaining the delicate truce, actions Leo might commend during his arrival address.
Reaction in Turkey
As NATO's largest military force besides the U.S., Turkey's increasing military influence has been attracting Western officials toward Erdogan, despite concerns voiced by critics regarding his suppression of the nation's primary opposition group.
Though support for Palestinians and an end to the war in Ukraine is widespread in Turkey, for Turks who face an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, owing to market turmoil induced by shake-ups in domestic politics, international politics is a secondary concern.
This might shed light on why Leo's trip has largely gone unnoticed by many in Turkey, at least beyond the nation's modest Christian population.
Sukran Celebi stated that “I didn’t know he was coming. He is welcome,”. “It would be good if he called for peace in the world, but I don’t think it will change anything.”
Certain individuals suggested the trip by the inaugural American pontiff in history was intended to further the objectives of the United States, or possibly to advocate for the recommencement of operations at a Greek Orthodox religious seminary which has emerged as a central issue in the campaign for religious liberties within Turkey.
“If the pope is visiting, that means America wants something from Turkey,” said Metin Erdem, a musical instruments shop owner in the touristic Galata district of Istanbul.
Historic anniversary
Leo's primary motivation for journeying to Turkey is to commemorate the 1,700th milestone of the Council of Nicaea, which was Christianity's inaugural ecumenical assembly.
Leo is scheduled to engage in prayer alongside Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the global spiritual head for Orthodox Christians, at the location of the A.D. 325 assembly in what is now Iznik, situated in northwestern Turkey, and will also affix their signatures to a shared statement as a clear demonstration of Christian solidarity.
The Eastern and Western Christian denominations remained unified until the Great Schism occurred in 1054, a separation primarily caused by disputes concerning the pope's supreme authority.
Although the trip coincides with the significant Catholic-Orthodox commemoration, it will also provide an opportunity for Leo to strengthen the church's connections with adherents of Islam. Leo is scheduled to tour the Blue Mosque and lead a gathering of different faiths in Istanbul.
Asgın Tunca, an imam at the Blue Mosque who is slated to greet the pope, stated that the pontiff's trip would aid in fostering Christian-Muslim relations and clearing up common misconceptions about Islam.
“We want to reflect that image by showing the beauty of our religion through our hospitality — that is God’s command,” Tunca said.
Religious freedom in Turkey
Since assuming leadership in 2002, the administration led by Erdogan has implemented changes aimed at enhancing the liberties of religious communities, such as inaugurating sites of worship and restoring assets that had been seized.
Nonetheless, certain Christian organizations encounter legal and administrative hurdles when seeking to officially establish their places of worship, as noted in a report from the U.S. State Department concerning religious liberties.
The Catholic Church, which counts around 33,000 members in Turkey, has no formal legal recognition in the country “and this is the source of many problems,” said the Rev. Paolo Pugliese, superior of the Capuchin Catholic friars in Turkey.
“But the Catholic Church enjoys a rather notable importance because we have an international profile … and we have the pope holding our backs,” he said.
Possible tensions
A particularly sensitive point of Leo's trip is scheduled for Sunday, during his visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul. This cathedral has been the site for every papal visit to Turkey since Paul VI, with the sole exception of Francis, who visited Turkey in 2014 while its patriarch was unwell.
Francis paid him a visit at the medical facility, and several months afterward, he severely displeased Turkey in 2015 by stating that the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks constituted “the first genocide of the 20th century.” Turkey. The nation, which has consistently rejected the notion of a genocide occurring, withdrew its representative to the Holy See as a demonstration of disapproval.
Leo has generally been considerably more cautious than Francis in his public statements, and employing such language on Turkish territory would ignite a diplomatic disturbance. However, the Vatican is also managing a challenging period in its relationship with Armenia, following criticism of its interfaith outreach efforts toward Azerbaijan.
