Pope Leo XIV visits Turkey for his first papal trip abroad, meeting President Erdogan and addressing Christian-Muslim dialogue amid regional tensions
ANKARA: Pope Leo XIV embarked on his first overseas journey as pontiff on Thursday, arriving in Turkey for a visit that includes a high-profile meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The American-born pope’s trip comes during a period of acute regional tensions and will also include a subsequent leg to Lebanon.
Upon arrival in the Turkish capital, Leo XIV was scheduled to address authorities, civil society representatives and the diplomatic corps before traveling to Istanbul in the evening.
More than 80 journalists accompanied the pontiff aboard the papal plane, scrutinising his first international footsteps since his election in May.
The pope has demonstrated media savvy through weekly conversations with reporters since becoming leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
In a departure from tradition, Leo XIV will deliver all his speeches during the trip in English rather than Italian, reflecting his desire to reach a broad audience.
His first address in Turkey was expected to focus on dialogue with Islam in a nation where Christians constitute just 0.1% of the 86 million population.
The pope faces delicate diplomatic challenges when addressing human rights concerns, recent arrests of Erdogan opponents, and the status of Turkey’s Christian minority.
Despite Turkey’s rising religious nationalism and the conversion of Hagia Sophia from museum to mosque in 2020, the Vatican maintains dialogue with Ankara as a key regional peace player.
The Holy See acknowledges Turkey’s efforts in hosting more than 2.5 million refugees, mostly from Syria.
Leo XIV has continued his predecessor’s focus on migrant rights, recently criticising the “extremely disrespectful” treatment of migrants by US President Donald Trump’s administration.
The pontiff paid respects at the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a national symbol of secular republic values.
Friday’s schedule takes a more religious turn with celebrations in Iznik marking the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea.
Leo XIV will join Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I for prayers at Lake Iznik, an event originally planned to include former Pope Francis before his death in April.
“This will be an exceptional opportunity to promote unity among all Christians,” the pope told journalists earlier this week.
The visit occurs amid deepening divisions within the Orthodox world, accelerated by the Ukraine war’s impact on relations between the Moscow and Constantinople patriarchates.
Leo XIV becomes the fifth pope to visit Turkey after Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis.
On Sunday, the pontiff travels to religiously diverse Lebanon, a nation grappling with economic collapse and recent Israeli bombings despite a ceasefire. – AFP
