site.btaPope Leo XIV to Visit Turkiye on His First Trip Abroad

Pope Leo XIV will be in Turkiye from November 27 to 30. This will be the Holy Father's first foreign visit since taking office at the Vatican. 

Pope Leo XIV will be the fifth head of the Roman Catholic Church to visit Turkiye. The first was Paul VI, who visited in 1967 followed by visits from Pope John Paul II in 1979, Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 and Pope Francis in 2014. Each of these visits had a different focus.

During his visit, Pope Leo XIV will go to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic, in Ankara. He will then meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Bestepe Presidential Palace, as well as with other Turkish officials. The visit will provide an opportunity to affirm the shared desire for cultures and religions to foster connections between peoples. The visit is expected to contribute to strengthening the fight against discriminatory phenomena such as xenophobia, Islamophobia and racism, the acting head of the Turkish Embassy in the Vatican, Elif Okutucu, said in an interview with the Turkish edition of The Independent.

The A Haber television channel said that the meeting between President Erdogan and Pope Leo XIV will send a strong message about efforts to achieve peace in the region, adding that Turkiye's diplomatic efforts in recent years to end wars influenced the Pope's decision to make this his first stop. 

Sources from the Vatican emphasize the apostolic nature of the Pope's visit. This visit is particularly significant because it coincides with the Holy Year (Jubilee) of the Roman Catholic Church in 2025, according to Vatican News. A highlight on the programme will be a pilgrimage to the Turkish city of Iznik (ancient Nicaea), where the First Ecumenical Council was held 1,700 years ago, in 325. This council is considered a key moment in the history of Christianity and in the formulation of Christian doctrine. Theologians say that the anniversary is also important in the context of discussions about unity after the Great Schism of 1054, when the Christian Church was divided into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches. Pope Francis had planned to visit Turkiye for the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea but postponed it due to his deteriorating health, which led to his passing on April 21, 2025.

During Pope Francis's papacy from 2013 to 2025, symbolic steps were taken to overcome the consequences of the division between the Western and Eastern Churches that had lasted nearly a millennium. Notably, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew attended Pope Francis' inauguration ceremony in 2013, becoming the first to do so. His successor, Pope Leo XIV, clearly intends to continue this work. In an interview with a Spanish publication that was also reported by the Turkish media, Pope Leo XIV stated that ecumenical relations will be a priority in the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Today, 17 centuries later, the Turkish city of Iznik, with a population of about 45,000, lies on the site of ancient Nicaea, on the shores of the Sea of Marmara. The Council was held at the site of the Basilica of St. Neophytus, which is now submerged in Lake Iznik in the district of Bursa, where archaeological excavations are taking place. Originally built as a chapel dedicated to Saint Neophytus, the basilica was destroyed by an earthquake in 358 AD and rebuilt after 380 AD. 

In Iznik, preparations for the Holy Father's upcoming visit are already in full swing. Hotels, guest houses and restaurants are fully booked. Security measures have been raised to the highest level. The Pope is expected to arrive in the city by helicopter from Istanbul on Friday, November 28. Around 15,000 Christians are expected to attend the liturgy and worship service led by the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch. 

After Iznik, the Pope will visit the Patriarchal Church in Istanbul's Fener district. Together with the Ecumenical Patriarch, he will participate in a joint liturgy, after which a joint statement is expected to be issued. However, the Turkish authorities do not recognise Bartholomew's title of "Ecumenical Patriarch", instead referring to him as "Greek Patriarch" in accordance with the wording of the 1923 Lausanne Peace Treaty.

A source from the Patriarchate, who wished to remain anonymous, commented that Pope Leo XIV's visit and his meetings and talks on Turkish soil will serve as a "moral boost" for Bartholomew, as well as strengthening Christian unity. The source added that this is why there is so much interest in the programme at the Patriarchal Church and the messages of the two spiritual leaders, from both officials and journalists.