Pope Leo XIV begins Turkiye visit with prayers and unity message

Pope Leo XIV made his first visit to Turkiye by evoking the words “Papa Leo” and “Viva il Papa” (Long live the pope). The resounding screams of “Papa Leo” and “Viva il Papa” (Long live the pope) were heard throughout Istanbul’s Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

Before moving on to his first pontificate, the pope led a prayer service with Turkish Catholic clergy and religious sisters. The 325 AD Council of Nicaea, where bishops wrote the Nicene Creed, a declaration of faith that millions of Christians worldwide still recite, will mark the 1, 700th anniversary of that pivotal period in Christianity. The Trinity recognizes the Holy Spirit as an equal person and acknowledges Jesus as the human son of God in the creed.

Before the Great Schism of 1054, when Eastern and Western churches remained unified, primarily over papal authority, this historic council took place. The Nicene Creed is still widely accepted in Catholic, Orthodox, and the majority of the country’s traditional Protestant denominations, making it a rare point of agreement and the most widely accepted creed in Christ.

In consequence, the celebration of its origins marks a significant milestone in the centuries-long effort to reunite Christianity.

Leo pointed out to the cathedral’s congregation that the creed was the “essential core of the Christian faith” as opposed to just a doctrinal statement.

Therefore, it is developing naturally, similar to a living reality, gradually revealing and fully expressing the fundamentals of the faith, he said.

Leo met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday and held a meeting there to promote a message of peace. On Sunday, he will deliver the same message to Lebanon as part of his second and final as the first American pope in history.

Leo praised Turkiye’s small Catholic community, which is made up of about 33, 000 people and is largely Sunni Muslim, at Tuesday’s cathedral service. He particularly applauded the church’s support for immigrants and newcomers.

Leo remarked in English to them, “The church’s true strength is the logic of littleness. The church has the difficult task of welcoming and providing for some of the most vulnerable because of the country’s significant number of migrants and refugees.

The diverse crowd gathered outside to hear his message very clearly, which showed how multifaceted Turkiye’s Catholic Church is.

Debora Martina Da Silva, a student in Guinea-Bissau studying political science, expressed her happiness with all her heart.

Mateusz Zajdecki, a 21-year-old Polish boy from Szczecin, acknowledged Leo’s visit’s ecumenical significance.