Pope Leo XIV begins first trip abroad to Turkey, Lebanon

The pontiff has arrived in Ankara, where he is to meet Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. After three days in Turkey, the pontiff will head to Lebanon, where the trip is seen as an opportunity to promote
Pope Leo XIV begins first trip abroad to Turkey, Lebanon

The pontiff has arrived in Ankara, where he is to meet Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. After three days in Turkey, the pontiff will head to Lebanon, where the trip is seen as an opportunity to promote unity.

Pope Leo XIV pictured waving before boarding the plane in Fiumicino Airport, Rome
Pope Leo XIV departs for his visit to Turkey and Lebanon, with the trip being seen as an opportunity to advance Christian-Muslim .
The first stop for Pope Leo will be at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded the Turkish Republic based on secular values in 1923.

Pope Leo XIV set off for his first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon on Thursday, arriving in Ankara for the first leg of his visit at 12:22 p.m. (0922 GMT).

The trip is being seen as an opportunity to strengthen relations between those of the Christian and Muslim faith.

“I have very much been looking forward to this trip because of what it means for Christians, but it is also a great message to the whole world,” he told reporters travelling with him on his plane, describing it as a “historic moment.”

The primary focus is to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea — Christianity’s first ecumenical council that produced the Nicene Creed — that is still used by most of the world’s Christians today.

“It’s a very important trip because we do not know much yet about Leo’s geopolitical views, and this is the first big chance for him to make them clear,” Massimo Faggioli, an Italian academic who follows the Vatican, told the Reuters news agency.The first stop for Pope Leo will be at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded the Turkish Republic based on secular values in 1923.Leo will then travel to Istanbul to see the Blue Mosque and where, according to Vatican News, he will spend the remainder of his time in Turkey.

Asgin Tunca — a Blue Mosque imam who will receive the pope — said the visit would help Christian-Muslim ties and dispel prejudices about Islam.