Pope Leo XIV´s last day in Turkey began with a curious moment involving bread and salt. It happened when he arrived for his meeting with the Armenians.
Pope Leo blessed the tray, bowed his head as if to say “all set,” and that’s when they invited him to taste it. So here he is: breaking the bread and dipping it into a bowl of salt. It is a tradition and a gesture of welcome, a sign of hospitality and respect – above all, its a way for Armenians to honor their guest.
TRIP TO TURKEY
CAUTIOUS TONE WITH THE ARMENIANS
This took place during his meeting with the Armenian community. Once inside, Pope Leo XIV spoke cautiously about what happened to the Armenians during the Ottoman Empire. His tone was very different that Pope Francis's, who repeatedly described these events as genocide; at the time, those statements created tension in Turkey, who still does not consider what happened to have been a genocide.
What Pope Leo focused on were the courageous testimonies of these people, although without mentioning the exact term “genocide.” The events he was referencing occurred between the years 1915 and 1923, with more than one and a half million Armenians removed from their properties, forced into exile, or killed.
Not speaking out so directly may be part of the Vatican´s diplomatic strategy: sometimes a message that is too direct can create more problems than solutions for the minorities still living in that country. Many could say that what Pope Leo did was, in that sense, a gesture of protection.
TRIP TO TURKEY
ALI AĞCA TRIES TO SEE THE POPE
The name Ali Ağca may not mean much to you, but you surely remember the man who shot Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square in 1981. Years later, Pope John Paul II himself went to the prison - to see Ali and forgive him.
Since then, this Turk has continued to generate controversy. He has even been mentioned in high-profile cases such as that of Emanuela Orlandi - so, you might be wondering what he has to do with this papal trip now…
Well, a few days earlier he had announced that he would travel to Iznik, ancient Nicaea, because he wanted “to speak with the pope, even if for just two to three minutes.” But that encounter never took place. Ali left the city escorted by police the day before the ecumenical event.
It’s worth noting the security measures in recent days have been increased. Look, for example, at Pope Leo's arrival to Nicaea—this convoy of vans and cars with heavy security surrounding the Pope as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle, with drones flying overhead for extra protection.
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AIRCRAFT REPAIRED FOR LEBANON
Regarding what we reported yesterday—the malfunction in the pope’s plane—everything turned out to be more worry than reality, and any potential issues have already been repaired. At midday, we saw Pope Leo board the plane again to fly to Lebanon.
There's a little-known tradition during papal travel that some image of the Virgin Mary is always placed right in front of the pontiff’s seat on the plane. Each pope chooses their own image. The one that accompanied Pope Francis was of Our Lady of Buenos Aires.
Pope Leo, however, from the very beginning of his pontificate, has made known his devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel, to whom the Augustinians have a great devotion and whose sanctuary he visited shortly after his election. From this first trip, we can already see the icon presiding over Pope Leo XIV’s travels.
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FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE
Another question about papal trips has been answered – Pope Leo has decided to continue the tradition of greeting journalists at the start of the journey, as we saw on the first day, but also of holding the well-known in-flight press conferences.
It is a brief moment of face-to-face conversation with the press. Correspondents take the opportunity to question the Pope about international issues, controversies, the apostolic visit, and upcoming events. This press conference was brief—about 10 minutes, and only three topics came up.
First, Pope Leo praised Turkey’s mediating role in conflicts. He then referred to the good of coexistence between religions. And lastly, the Pope proposed a trip for 2033. He wants Christian leaders from around the world to gather, for example in Jerusalem, to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of the Resurrection of Christ.
And with that, Pope Leo's trip to Turkey came to an end. Pope Leo is already in Lebanon, with another intense schedule awaiting him until Tuesday, December 2, when he'll return to the Vatican.
