Pope Leo and the Ecumenical Patriarch will travel together to Nicaea in Asia Minor to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.
The Vatican announced yesterday that the phrase encapsulating the deeper meaning of the trip that Pope Leo XIV will make at the end of November to Asia Minor, together with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,” emphasizing the shared roots of all Christians.
Pope Leo and the Ecumenical Patriarch will journey together to Nicaea in Asia Minor for the commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. The Pontiff will also visit the Ecumenical Patriarchate and hold a meeting in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and accredited foreign diplomats.
The following day, the Holy Father of the Catholic Church will travel with the Ecumenical Patriarch to Nicaea for the Ecumenical Prayer Gathering, which will take place in the area of the archaeological excavations of the Basilica of Saint Neophytos. In the evening, Pope Prevost will arrive in Istanbul.
On Saturday, November 29, the American Pontiff will visit the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) and then proceed to the Phanar. He will attend the doxology service and then have a private meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch, with whom he will sign a joint declaration at the Patriarchal Mansion. In the afternoon, Pope Leo will celebrate Mass at the Volkswagen Arena.
On November 30, the Pope will visit the Armenian Cathedral of Istanbul, and at 10:30 a.m. he will return to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the Throne Feast of Saint Andrew. He will attend the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint George and deliver his fourth address. At 12:30 p.m., an Ecumenical Blessing will follow. After a luncheon with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Pontiff will depart from Istanbul Airport for Lebanon, where he will remain until December 2.
Source: ANA-MPA