Pope Leo XIV’s first international journey as pontiff began on Thursday, November 27, 2025, as he touched down in Turkey—a nation where minarets outnumber church spires, and the echoes of history ring through every stone. His arrival marked not just a diplomatic mission, but a bold statement about unity, peace, and the enduring relevance of faith in a fractured world. As the first U.S. pope, Leo’s presence in Turkey has drawn the eyes of the globe, especially as he set out to bridge divides that have lingered for centuries.
According to Reuters, the pope’s itinerary is nothing short of packed. His first stop was Ankara, the Turkish capital, where he paid his respects at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey. Later, he was officially welcomed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the presidential complex. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting to discuss relations between the Vatican and Turkey, as well as a range of regional and international issues. The pope also met with representatives of civil society and diplomatic bodies, and visited the Presidency of Religious Affairs, where he was received by its head, Ali Erbaş.
But it’s not just the political heavyweights who have had their say. On the flight to Ankara, Pope Leo spoke candidly to reporters, highlighting the urgency of his mission. “Despite our different religious and cultural affiliations, we are all brothers, and it is our shared responsibility to work towards promoting peace and the unity of humanity,” he said, as reported by Reuters and other outlets. That sentiment would become the refrain of his visit, echoing through every speech and encounter.
Later that Thursday evening, Pope Leo traveled to Istanbul, a city straddling continents and faiths. The following morning, November 28, he visited the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, where the local Catholic community greeted him with cries of “Viva il papa!” The pope’s message was clear and, in a way, countercultural: he urged Turkey’s roughly 33,000 Catholics not to seek political influence, but instead to focus on helping migrants and the vulnerable. “You must focus on helping migrants,” he said, referencing the nearly 4 million foreigners Turkey now hosts, including about 2.4 million Syrians, as well as migrants from Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq. This theme of compassion for the displaced has been a hallmark of Leo’s six-month papacy, and he did not shy away from critiquing policies he sees as contrary to this mission. He has been an outspoken critic of U.S. President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration stance—a position that has drawn both praise and criticism from various corners of the global Catholic community.
The centerpiece of the pope’s visit, however, was the celebration in Iznik—formerly known as Nicaea—about 140 kilometers southeast of Istanbul. Here, on Friday, November 28, 2025, Pope Leo joined Christian leaders from across the Middle East, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s 260 million Orthodox Christians, as well as representatives from Egypt, Syria, Israel, and Turkey. The occasion? The 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a landmark gathering that produced the Nicene Creed, which still unites most of the world’s 2.6 billion Christians. As Reuters notes, the event was not just a nod to the past but a call to unity among denominations divided since the East-West Schism of 1054.
In his first major overseas speech, Pope Leo did not mince words about the state of the world. According to Reuters, he lamented the “unusual number of bloody conflicts” and issued a stark warning: a third world war, he said, was being “fought piecemeal,” with the future of humanity hanging in the balance. His words, spoken at an event with President Erdoğan, resonated deeply in a region scarred by war and displacement.
The pope’s program in Turkey also included visits to places of deep religious significance. On Saturday, November 29, he planned to visit the Sultan Ahmed Mosque—better known as the Blue Mosque—in what would be his first visit as pope to a Muslim place of worship. He was also expected to tour the Church of St. Ephrem the Syrian Orthodox and meet with local Christian leaders. These gestures, while symbolic, carried real weight in a country where Christianity once flourished—Turkey was home to key early saints like the apostles Philip, Paul, and John—but where Christians now make up a tiny fraction of the population.
Throughout his journey, Pope Leo has not shied away from addressing the pressing issues of the day. In both Turkey and Lebanon, he has repeatedly emphasized the need for peace and unity, inviting “all people to come together to search for greater unity, greater harmony, and to look for the ways that all men and women can truly be brothers and sisters, in spite of differences, in spite of different religions,” as he said in remarks covered by the New York Times. These aren’t just platitudes; they are a direct challenge to the forces of division that have fueled conflict and mistrust across the region.
On Sunday, November 30, the pope will depart Turkey for Lebanon, the second stop on his Middle Eastern tour. Lebanon, with the largest share of Christians in the Middle East, has been rocked by the spillover of the Gaza conflict, as Israel and the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah have clashed, culminating in a devastating Israeli offensive. Lebanese leaders are hoping the papal visit can draw international attention to their plight, especially as the country struggles with an influx of refugees and a battered economy.
The modern papacy has become increasingly international, with popes drawing huge crowds, making foreign policy speeches, and engaging in high-stakes diplomacy. Pope Leo’s journey is no exception. At 70 and in good health, he’s embraced the rigors of travel, meeting not only with heads of state and religious leaders but also with ordinary people—migrants, priests, and the faithful—who look to him for moral guidance in uncertain times.
As the sun sets on his historic visit to Turkey, Pope Leo XIV leaves behind more than just a trail of speeches and ceremonies. He has reminded the world that, even amid turmoil and division, the dream of unity—and the work of peace—remain within reach. His words and actions in Turkey and Lebanon will reverberate long after his plane leaves the tarmac, offering hope that bridges can still be built, even in the most unlikely places.
