The first papal greeting, the first papal meeting, the first papal appearance… and, of course, the papal first trip. Pope Leo XIV will soon have to decide where he will make his first apostolic visit.
It’s a choice that is always closely watched. Why that place? Who does he want to meet? What message does he hope to send?
Pope Francis’s first destination was highly symbolic. He chose the Italian island of Lampedusa — the gateway for migrants entering Europe, and a place where many lose their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
That was Pope Francis’s first trip, but the Argentinian pope had also nearly finalized one trip more before his death: a visit to Turkey to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
Now, the new Pope seems eager to follow Pope Francis' path. During a meeting with journalists, he seemed inclined to the idea and discussed it with the advisor of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in Rome.
NIKOS TZOITIS, Advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch in Rome
I asked him this question… People want him to go to Nicaea, and honestly, this was something we journalists had agreed to ask. He told me: ‘Yes, I know. And it will happen… We’re preparing a date for it.
The initial date, set before the change of pontiff, was planned for late May, which was when Patriarch Bartholomew had invited Pope Francis. Another major goal of the visit would be to strengthen ties between the Roman Church and the Orthodox Church — a major ecumenical gesture.
After Pope Francis’s death, and upon hearing of Cardinal Prevost’s election, Bartholomew extended the same invitation to the new Pope.
BARTHOLOMEW I, Patriarch of Constantinople
Now I’m looking forward to going to Rome to greet the new Pope, attend his enthronement, and invite him to come celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, as we had planned with the late Pope Francis.
A possible new date could be in November, as the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of its patron, Saint Andrew, on November 30th. It would be a fitting occasion to strengthen bonds between the two churches.
CA
