Pope Leo XIV, the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.5 billion Catholics and head of state of the Vatican, is on an official visit to Türkiye—the first stop on a two-legged official visit, with Lebanon the second destination. The visit, set against a backdrop of historical, religious, and political symbolism, is unfolding over three days. Even the logo of the Apostolic Journey to Türkiye, featuring a bridge over the Bosphorus that symbolises an invitation to build fraternity and dialogue between East and West, has its own page on Vatican News explaining its meaning.
The pope’s visit to Türkiye consists of three parts. First, a visit to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye, in Ankara. This was followed by a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Palace, and a concert by the Antakya Civilisations Choir in the Palace Library. As part of his speech, Erdoğan addressed the Gaza war, emphasising Israel’s targeting of places of worship, including a Catholic church. While the pope made a general reference to wars around the world, he did not mention Israel by name, nor criticise it for its crimes, as the host country would have liked.
On the second day, the pope visited the city of İznik, around 130km to the south-east of Istanbul. Set by the lake of İznik, he performed a pilgrimage to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, fulfilling a promise made by his predecessor, Pope Francis.
The third part of the pope’s visit includes stops at several churches in Istanbul, among them the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church and the Venerable Patriarchal Church of St George. It also features a prayer visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and attendance at the Feast of Saint Andrew at the Greek Orthodox Church in Fener. The pope will also sign a joint declaration with Patriarch Bartholomew and join the hierarchs for luncheon at the Patriarchate in Istanbul’s Fener district. A mass is to be held at the 5,000-seat Volkswagen Arena.
A papal first
In a first for the Papacy, the pope will begin his third day with a visit to the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, otherwise known as the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul. Türkiye, with a population of 85 million, is predominantly Muslim and has a small Catholic population of around 33,000. Approximately 180,000 Christians and around 20,000 Jews live in Türkiye, with 435 places of worship—churches and synagogues—spread across the country.
Although history is peppered with wars between the Ottoman Empire and the Papacy-led forces of Latin Europe, official diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the Vatican have existed since 1960. All popes except John Paul I, who served for just 33 days, have officially visited Türkiye.
For religious and historical reasons, Türkiye holds a ‘privileged’ position in terms of papal visits. The Papacy’s interest in Anatolia is rooted in the region’s foundational role in the early history of Christianity, as the lands that constitute modern-day Türkiye were central to the spread and development of the faith in its earliest centuries. The first eight councils of the church were held there, and today it is at the heart of the Catholic Church’s efforts to build closer ties with the Greek Orthodox Church in Istanbul.
