VATICAN CITY – On Thursday, Pope Leo XIV embarks on his inaugural international journey, stepping into the footsteps of the late Pope Francis. His mission is to honor a significant Orthodox commemoration and convey a message of harmony to a region grappling with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and Middle Eastern discord.

Leo’s itinerary begins in Ankara, where he will engage in discussions with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and address the nation’s diplomatic community. Following his visit to the capital, he will proceed to Istanbul for three days dedicated to ecumenical and interfaith dialogues, culminating in the Lebanese portion of his travels.

This visit takes place as Turkey positions itself as a pivotal mediator in peace efforts concerning the turmoil in Ukraine and Gaza, in a nation home to over 85 million Sunni Muslims. Turkey’s role as a diplomatic bridge has been increasingly recognized on the international stage.

In Ankara, the country has facilitated preliminary negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and expressed willingness to contribute to a stabilization force in Gaza, aiming to support the delicate ceasefire. These initiatives are likely to be highlighted in Leo’s opening address.

Response from Turkey

As NATO’s second-largest military power, Turkey’s influence has been attracting Western leaders to Erdogan’s administration. This growing alliance, however, comes amid concerns about Erdogan’s stringent measures against the nation’s primary opposition party, raising questions about the balance of power within the country.

Though support for Palestinians and an end to the war in Ukraine is widespread in Turkey, for Turks who face an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, owing to market turmoil induced by shake-ups in domestic politics, international politics is a secondary concern.

That could explain why Leo’s visit has largely escaped the attention of many in Turkey, at least outside the country’s small Christian community.

“I didn’t know he was coming. He is welcome,” said Sukran Celebi. “It would be good if he called for peace in the world, but I don’t think it will change anything.”

Some said they thought the visit by history’s first American pope was about advancing the interests of the United States, or perhaps to press for the reopening of a Greek Orthodox religious seminary that has become a focal point in the push for religious freedoms in Turkey.

“If the pope is visiting, that means America wants something from Turkey,” said Metin Erdem, a musical instruments shop owner in the touristic Galata district of Istanbul.

Historic anniversary

The main impetus for Leo to travel to Turkey is to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council.

Leo will pray with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, at the site of the 325 AD gathering, today’s Iznik in northwestern Turkey, and sign a joint declaration in a visible sign of Christian unity.

Eastern and Western churches were united until the Great Schism of 1054, a divide precipitated largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope.

While the visit is timed for the important Catholic-Orthodox anniversary, it will also allow Leo to reinforce the church’s relations with Muslims. Leo is due to visit the Blue Mosque and preside over an interfaith meeting in Istanbul.

Asgın Tunca, a Blue Mosque imam who will be receiving the pope, said the visit would help advance Christian-Muslim ties and dispel popular prejudices about Islam.

“We want to reflect that image by showing the beauty of our religion through our hospitality — that is God’s command,” Tunca said.

Religious freedom in Turkey

Since coming to power in 2002, Erdogan’s government has enacted reforms to improve the rights of religious groups, including opening places of worship and returning property that were confiscated.

Still, some Christian groups face legal and bureaucratic problems when trying to register churches, according to a U.S. State Department report on religious freedoms.

The Catholic Church, which counts around 33,000 members in Turkey, has no formal legal recognition in the country “and this is the source of many problems,” said the Rev. Paolo Pugliese, superior of the Capuchin Catholic friars in Turkey.

“But the Catholic Church enjoys a rather notable importance because we have an international profile … and we have the pope holding our backs,” he said.

Possible tensions

One of the more delicate moments of Leo’s visit will come Sunday, when he visits the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul. The cathedral has hosted all popes who have visited Turkey since Paul VI, with the exception of Francis who visited Turkey in 2014 when its patriarch was sick.

Francis visited him at the hospital, and a few months later he greatly angered Turkey in 2015 when he declared that the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks was “the first genocide of the 20th century.” Turkey, which has long denied a genocide took place, recalled its ambassador to the Holy See in protest.

Leo has tended to be far more prudent than Francis in his public comments, and using such terms on Turkish soil would spark a diplomatic incident. But the Vatican is also navigating a difficult moment in its ties with Armenia, after its interfaith overtures to Azerbaijan have been criticized.

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