Pope in Turkey on first foreign visit
As part of his first foreign tour since his election as Pope, Leo XIV paid a three-day visit to Turkey. His visit coincides with the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, at which the foundations for the ecumenical creed were laid. Leo XIV also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom he praised for his peace efforts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Ankara's aim is peace and dialogue
For all the criticism of Turkey, this papal reception was a grand gesture by Ankara, Milliyet comments:
“During his stay in our country, the Pope delivered messages of world peace and warned that humanity's future is threatened by war. Turkey's sensitivity in view of the Treaty of Lausanne is of course justified, but in this situation, in which we are heading towards a third world war, we should work towards rapprochement rather than division. The country in which we live has entrusted us with this historic task. Oriented towards peace and dialogue, our state's stance on this issue should be respected.”
Key moment in tumultuous times
The relationship between the Vatican and Turkey mirrors the complex tensions of our times, François Mabille, an expert in pontifical diplomacy, comments in La Croix:
“The visit from Pope Leo XIV represents a key moment in these turbulent times. The pope is turning towards a state that is no longer a classical ally but rather an autonomous player, whose evolving identity has direct repercussions for the Mediterranean, the Middle East and inter-religious equilibrium. ... Relations between Turkey and the Holy See directly reflect current geopolitical uncertainties and two intersecting geopolitical trajectories - held in constant tension by memory, theology, diplomacy and the reshaping of the world.”
Christians under pressure
The Kronen Zeitung points out that Erdoğan has long been pushing Islamisation:
“Leo XIV is honouring Turkey as the bridge between East and West and praising Erdoğan's efforts at stepping up as an international peace negotiator. ... But he should not keep quiet about the fact Christians are coming under growing pressure in Erdoğan's Turkey today, where the AKP is increasingly enforcing Islamisation on the country. Alone the fact that under Erdoğan, the Hagia Sophia, one of the oldest and most sacred churches in Christendom, has been converted back into a mosque after being a museum for decades, speaks volumes.”