What you are about to see is key in papal trips. It is the moment of encounter between two heads of state. Look at the entourage accompanying Pope Leo, with the respective flags of the Vatican and Turkey.
And here is the awaited moment… the first face-to-face meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Erdoğan, the president of the country.
And listen to what happens now…
Merhaba asker (Greeting, soldier).
It is the Pope’s greeting in Turkish to the soldiers at the entrance of the presidential palace. And from there, he went on to a private meeting with the Turkish president. The content of the meeting was not disclosed, although the international politics was surely on the table.
What is shown publicly is this moment: the address to the authorities.
After the warm welcome of traditional Turkish music, the first to speak was Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who focused on the country's peaceful acceptance of religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity.
PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN
We consider cultural, religious, and ethnic differences not as a factor of division, but rather as a source of richness. Every one of our citizens, regardless of their language, religion, sect, or ethnic origin, is a first-class citizen of the Republic of Turkey. We do not allow even a single one of our people to be subjected to discrimination.
However, according to some available reports, the situation in Turkey may differ from the president's remarks.
Per the Aid to the Church in Need World Report, Turkey's educational and political structure continues to undermine religious freedom with compulsory Sunni religious instruction in schools and Muslim priority for most property rights.
Pope Leo XIV took the opportunity to call for peace, common humanity, and justice.
POPE LEO
For this reason, in a society like the one here in Turkey, where religion plays a visible role, it is essential to honor the dignity and freedom of all God’s children, both men and women, fellow nationals and foreigners, poor and rich. We are all children of God, and this has personal, social and political implications.
While the president of Turkey and the pontiff praised each other's defense of the nuclear family, Pope Leo also did not shy away from topics of tension, like women's contributions to society.
POPE LEO
At the same time, it is within family life that the value of conjugal love and the contribution of women emerge in a very specific way. Women, in particular, through their studies and active participation in professional, cultural and political life, are increasingly placing themselves at the service of your community and its positive influence on the international scene.
Turkey is one of the few Middle Eastern countries with the legal framework to support women's right.
However, the country recently came under international criticism in 2022, when President Erdoğan withdrew the country out of the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty designed to prevent violence and domestic abuse against women.
Overall, both the Roman pontiff and the president of Turkey seemed very pleased to see each other, and the first public address of Pope Leo's first apostolic trip ended with applause and handshakes.
CRT
