It was one of the most anticipated moments in the little more than six months of Pope Leo’s papacy: Where would he make his first international visit? For what purpose? What would his relationship with journalists be like? And what would his first speech be about? Today, all those questions have been answered.
Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Turkey, and in a few days he will fly to Lebanon. The first thing we were able to see was his face-to-face encounter with the press. We saw a close, approachable pope who delivered a brief message in English to the correspondents and then greeted them one-by-one.
Among them was our colleague from Rome Reports, Arturo, who traveled with Pope Francis on 13 global trips and today was aboard the papal plane with Pope Leo on his first international visit.
Once airborne, the papal plane crossed six countries before reaching Turkey. The plane landed at 10:30, thus beginning this apostolic visit, which also includes a strict and intense schedule over the coming days.
TRIP TO TURKEY
PLANNED BY POPE FRANCIS
And now you may wonder: why Turkey? Well, it was a trip that had been planned in Pope Francis’ schedule, although the Holy See never officially confirmed it. It was originally going to take place in May 2025.
But as you know, everything changed during those months. The pope was hospitalized and later recovered in Santa Marta, until he passed away on April 21.
That was when Pope Leo picked up the baton and decided to travel to Turkey for a specific reason: to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. Tomorrow, we will see Pope Leo in Iznik for a major ecumenical gathering.
We should also remember that beyond the ecumenical aspect of the trip, papal destinations often carry geopolitical weight. Turkey is located at a strategic crossroads between Asia and Europe and controls many Mediterranean routes. It's positions between the East and West also means it plays negotiator quite often – recently Turkey has held a role as mediator in the two major ongoing conflicts: Ukraine and the Middle East.
TRIP TO TURKEY
TRIBUTE TO ATATÜRK
And now, let’s go directly to the Pope Leo's agenda. Everything began at the Atatürk Mausoleum. He was the first president of the Turkey we know today—the modern Turkey he founded after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
His aim was to transform a place previously governed by Islam into a secular country. As you can see, Pope Leo traveled there, just as Pope Francis did in 2014, and offered a floral tribute before the sarcophagus where the remains of this political figure—considered by many to be the father of the Turks—rest.
TRIP TO TURKEY
FACE-TO-FACE WITH ERDOĞAN
From there, we moved to the most political part of the papal trip: the moment when the pontiff is received by the head of state. In this case, look at the pope’s first face-to-face meeting with the Turkish president, followed by a private encounter from which no details were released.
What we do know—and followed closely both from Turkey and here in the newsroom— were the two speeches delivered by these leaders. We’ll start with Turkish president, who improvised all his remarks in front of the pope and authorities from both the Vatican and Turkey.
It was expected that president of Turkey would speak about two topics: conflicts and religion in Turkey. Regarding conflicts, the president praised his own management of humanitarian aid, reflecting on Turkey's support of Syrian refugees
TRIP TO TURKEY
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE COUNTRY
The Turkish president also claimed that Turkey was well-know for their respect of religious minorities. In his exact words, he said that they do not allow anyone to be discriminated against. However, these words contrast with several reports describing restrictions on freedom of worship or calling for closer monitoring of violations of religious liberty in the country.
As for the pope, he spoke about the importance of religion in Turkey, stating that it is essential to honor the freedom of everyone—personally, socially, and politically.
The pontiff also addressed the role of women and specifically their contribution to society. Pope Leo XIV spoke of the positive influence they have on the international stage, especially as their participation in professional, cultural, and political life continues to grow.
TRIP TO TURKEY
TRANSFER TO ISTANBUL
After this important meeting, Pope Leo XIV boarded a plane again—this time headed to Istanbul. He will spend the night there because tomorrow three important events await him, including one with the Catholic community in the country and then, as we mentioned, his pilgrimage to Iznik. And so, Pope Leo XIV officially began his first apostalic trip and has became the fifth pope to visit Turkey, where he will remain until Sunday, November 30.
