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Pope Leo XIV gets on it First foreign trip to Türkiye this Thursday, finish late Pope Francis‘Plans to commemorate a major Orthodox anniversary and bring peace amid significant efforts ukraine And the Middle East.
to reach first ankara, He will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and address the diplomatic corps.
He then heads to Istanbul for three days of ecumenical and interfaith meetingsBefore the Lebanese leg of his trip.
This is how the Pope travels turkeyMainly a country of more than 85 million sunni MuslimsActs as a major mediator in Ukraine and Gaza Peace talks.
ankara has hosted Russia-Ukraine negotiated and offered to join Gaza Pope Leo can appreciate the efforts of the stabilization force to maintain the fragile ceasefire.
reaction in Türkiye
turkeyincreasing military power, boasting natoThe military, the second largest after the US, is bringing Western leaders closer to President Erdogan.
The engagement continues despite critics raising concerns over his government’s repression of the country’s main opposition party.
While for support Palestinians And the end of the conflict in Ukraine is omnipresent turkeyThe citizens of the country are mainly focused on the crisis of severe cost of living.
This economic turmoil, stemming primarily from domestic political instability, means that international affairs remain a secondary concern for many Turks.
This may explain why Leo’s visit escaped the attention of many people in Türkiye, at least outside the country. Christian community.
Sukran Celebi said, “I didn’t know he was coming. He is welcome.” “It would be nice if he called for peace in the world, but I don’t think it would change anything.”
Some said they thought the visit by the first American Pope in history was about advancing the interests of the United States, or perhaps to press for the reopening of a Greek Orthodox religious seminary that has become a focal point for religious freedom in Turkey.
“If the Pope is visiting, it means America wants something from Turkey,” said Metin Erdem, owner of a musical instrument shop in the touristy Galata district. istanbul,
historical anniversary
The main purpose of Leo’s visit to Türkiye is to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council.
Leo will pray with Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, at the site of the 325 AD meeting, Iznik in today’s northwestern Turkey, and sign a joint declaration in a visual gesture. Christian Unity.
The Eastern and Western churches were united until the Great Schism of 1054, a division largely caused by disagreement over the primacy of the Pope.
While the visit is timed to important Catholic-Orthodox anniversaries, it will also allow Leo to strengthen church ties MuslimsLeo is to visit the Blue Mosque and chair an interfaith meeting istanbul,
Imam Asgin Tunca of the Blue Mosque, who received the Pope, said the visit would help advance Christian-Muslim relations and overcome popular prejudices about Islam.
“We want to reflect that image by showing the beauty of our religion through our hospitality – i.e. GodOrder,” Tunka said.
religious freedom in Türkiye
Since coming to power in 2002, Erdogan’s government has implemented reforms to improve the rights of religious groups, including opening places of worship and returning confiscated property.
Nevertheless, some Christian groups face legal and bureaucratic problems when attempting to register churches, according to a US State Department report on religious freedom.
The Catholic Church, which has about 33,000 members in Turkey, has no formal legal recognition in the country “and this is the source of many problems,” said the Rev. Paolo Pugliese, superior of Capuchin Catholic monks in Turkey.
“But the Catholic Church enjoys significant importance because we have an international image… and the Pope has our back,” he said.
potential stress
The most delicate moment of Leo’s visit will come on Sunday, when he visits the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul.
The cathedral has hosted all popes who have visited Turkey since Paul VI, except Francis who visited Turkey in 2014 when his father was ill.
Francis visited him in the hospital, and a few months later he greatly angered Turkey in 2015 when he declared that the genocide of the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks was “the first genocide of the 20th century.” Türkiye, which has long denied the genocide, recalled its ambassador to the Holy See in protest.
Leo has been far more discreet than Francis in his public comments, and using such words on Turkish soil would spark a diplomatic incident. But Vatican is also facing a difficult moment in his relationship with armeniaAfter its interfaith proposal Azerbaijan There has been criticism.