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Pope Leo XIV commenced his first international trip as pontiff on Thursday, arriving in Ankara, Turkey, before continuing a six-day journey that will also take him to Lebanon. The visit marks a significant moment for Catholic-Orthodox dialogue and interfaith engagement in a predominantly Muslim country.
Upon landing, the Pope was greeted by Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, and later paid his respects at Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey. At the memorial, he placed a wreath and inscribed a message in the “Golden Book,” offering prayers for peace and prosperity for the Turkish people.
Following this, Pope Leo met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex. Their discussions included broader issues of civil society and interreligious harmony. Addressing officials and members of the diplomatic corps at the Nation’s Library, the Pope emphasized Türkiye’s role as a bridge between cultures, the enduring importance of family, and the need to counter the “globalization of indifference” through dialogue and encounter.
Later, the Pope held a private meeting with Safi Arpaguş, President of the Diyanet,Turkey’s official institution overseeing Sunni Islamic affairs. While Türkiye is constitutionally secular, over 99% of its population identifies as Muslim, making this encounter a notable gesture of interfaith respect.
The first day concluded with a brief visit to the Apostolic Nunciature before Pope Leo departed Ankara for Istanbul, where his engagements will include prayers with local clergy and a pastoral visit to an elderly care facility run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.
A central highlight of the trip will take place in Nicaea (modern-day Iznik), where Pope Leo will join Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of 325 AD. The leaders of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches will pray together and issue a joint declaration, signaling a continued commitment to healing the millennium-long division stemming from the Great Schism of 1054. Patriarch Bartholomew has described this effort as a moral obligation to bridge historical wounds and foster Christian unity.
Throughout his visit, Pope Leo is expected to address issues of regional tension, the relationship between Christians and Muslims, and the challenges facing Christian communities in the Middle East, a context in which the Vatican’s support for Palestinians has bolstered its credibility among many in the Muslim world.
With information from Vatican News.
