On his first visit outside Italy, Pope Leo XIV's plane lands today, Thursday, at Ankara Airport so that Turkey would be the first leg on his apostolic tour, to be followed by a second leg to fraternal Lebanon. Through this visit, the Pope seeks to fulfill a "double dream" that his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, was unable to realize due to his passing away.
Today, we address the first stop, namely Turkey which by virtue of its location is a crossroads of civilizations and cultures. It is also a holy land, rich in historical sites sanctified by the apostles where Christianity took root after the ascension of Lord Jesus Christ. Among the most important of these apostles is Paul the Apostle, who founded several churches there and wrote letters that are considered an integral part of the Holy Bible.
The relations between Turkey and the Holy See took an official diplomatic nature in 1960, which was followed by a historic visit by Pope Paul VI in 1967, and since then embassies have been exchanged between the two sides. However, the Christian presence in Turkey has receded dramatically since the beginning of the 20th century as a result of the massacres perpetrated against Armenian, Syriac, and Greek communities. The Vatican referred to these events as genocide a century later, which caused a diplomatic crisis that was later contained by Pope Francis' visit to Turkey in 2014, during which he visited the Blue Mosque, as Pope Benedict XVI did in 2006 and Pope John Paul II did in 1979.
The number of Christians in Turkey is estimated nowadays at around 200,000, most of whom belong to the Eastern Orthodox (Armenian and Syriac) and Catholic Churches. Turkey is also home to the Orthodox Church, whose head is referred to as the "Ecumenical Patriarch" (meaning universal), owing to Constantinople's historical role played in the first millennium, both in the process of unity with Rome and later in the schism of 1054.
The primary purpose of the visit to Tukey is to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, or what is currently referred to as the city of Iznik. In 325, at the invitation of Emperor Constantine, who granted Christians freedom of worship with the Edict of Milan in 313, some 318 bishops from around the world convened to discuss theological issues raised by the Arian heresy, led by the Egyptian priest Arius. The one-month council sessions concluded with the adoption of “the Creed”, which is still recited by the entire churches nowadays, and that standardized the dates for the celebrations of Easter, despite the continued existence of two different calendars, namely the Julian and the Gregorian Calendars.
The commemoration of this anniversary conveys a noble message by Pope Leo XIV, namely to continue striving for the attainment of Christian unity, a goal that was fostered 17 centuries ago but still seems difficult and unattainable. A joint document is expected to be signed by Pope Leo and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who enjoyed a close friendship with Pope Francis and continues with his successor.
It is noteworthy that this document will be signed on November 30, marking the feast of Saint Andrew, the brother of Saint Peter whose relics are located in the Constantinople Church. This carries a profound symbolic significance, namely as the 267th successor of Saint Peter will visit his "brother" in his spiritual home, we pray that this visit would contribute to strengthening fraternity among Christians in Turkey and the world, and that it would be a new step on the path to unity and peace. We will have more to say about the visit to our fraternal country Lebanon.
