The visit of the new Pope Leo XIV to Turkey has been finalized, marking the Roman Catholic leader’s first official trip abroad, Turkey’s daily Hürriyet reported.
According to Hürriyet, the American-born pontiff will be in Turkey from November 27–30, before departing for Lebanon on November 30.
The trip reportedly gained momentum after a June 2024 remark by the late Pope Francis, expressing his wish to visit Turkey in 2025 to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a landmark in Christian history. Following Francis’s death on April 21, 2025, attention turned to his successor. Elected on May 8, Pope Leo XIV told journalists, when reminded of his predecessor’s plan to visit Nicaea: “I’m aware. We are preparing.”
During the visit, the Pope is expected to highlight the challenges facing Christians in the Middle East and call for peace in the region. The tour is set to begin on November 27 in Ankara, where he will hold an official meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He will then travel to Istanbul to meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Phanar where he is expected to attend official celebrations for the Thronal (Patronal) Feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew, the founder of the Church of Constantinople. The two church leaders are also due to travel to Nicaea, situated in the modern Turkish city of İznik, to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate expressed its joy and satisfaction over the upcoming visit of Pope Leo XIV, describing their planned visit to Nicaea on November 28 as “a milestone for the unity and faith of the Church.”
With this trip, Pope Leo XIV will become the fifth pope to visit Turkey, after Francis (2014), Benedict XVI (2006), John Paul II (1979) and Paul VI (1967).
Source: CNA