Pope Leo Touches Down in Turkey on First Leg of Middle East Tour

Pope Leo XIV kicked off the first foreign trip of his papacy Thursday, landing in Turkey to begin a six-day Middle East tour.

The Pope’s journey will see him visit Turkey and Lebanon and will run through November 27 to December 2. His predecessor, the late Pope Francis, planned to visit both countries before his health worsened.

The Vatican chose “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” and “Blessed are the peacemakers” as the two trip’s two mottos.

“The Pope takes up the pilgrim’s staff. Before him, there was Pope Paul VI, then Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis. In a sense, he follows in the footsteps of his predecessors. I imagine this will be a much-anticipated journey, being the first of his pontificate,” Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said on Wednesday.

According to The Vatican, Pope Leo will begin his agenda in Ankara with a visit of the Mausoleum of the nation’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Atatürk before heading to the Presidential Palace to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, followed by a meeting with local authorities, civil society, and diplomatic corps.

Pope Leo will then depart to the Apostolic Nunciature in Istanbul, where he will reside for the remainder of his visit.

On Friday, his agenda includes meetings with Bishops and other members of the Church at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul and a visit to the Nursing Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor. 

A key moment of his visit will take place at the city of Iznik, where he will travel via helicopter to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council. The Pope will travel to the city by helicopter. Other notable items in the Pope’s agenda include a Saturday visit to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul and a Holy Mass later that day.

On Sunday morning, Pope Leo will hold a Prayer visit at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and will meet with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I before departing towards Lebanon.

“Good-morning to the Americans here, Happy Thanksgiving!” Pope Leo, the first American head of the Catholic Church, told reporters aboard the plane. 

The Pope explained he hopes to “announce, transmit, proclaim how important peace is throughout the world and to invite all people to come together to search for greater unity.” He also made calls to look for the ways that all men and women “can truly be brothers and sisters,” in spite of differences, religions, and beliefs.

Cardinal Parolin said on Wednesday that Christians have always been a fundamental presence in the Middle East, and stressed, “They wish to continue this role. I believe that, ultimately, this role of moderation helps facilitate dialogue and promote encounters between different parties.” 

“The problem today is that the Christian population in the Middle East is steadily declining—a matter of great concern for the Holy See. We hope Christians can remain in the region and continue to contribute to the societies in which they live,” he said.