Sankt Georg Austrian Church in Istanbul
Catholic community growing in Türkiye
As Pope Leo XIV arrives in Türkiye on the first leg of his
first Apostolic Journey, Fr. Alexander Jernej, CM, describes the context of the
Christian community in the majority Muslim country.
By Christopher Wells and Kielce Gussie
While Türkiye is 99% Muslim, Christianity and Judaism are
also present in the country.
In an interview with Vatican News’ Christopher Wells
reporting on the ground in Türkiye, Fr. Alexander Jernej sheds light on the
small Catholic community in Istanbul.
A parishioner at Sankt
Georg makes a wreath in preparation for the upcoming season of Advent
A Vincentian priest belonging to the province of Austria and
Germany, Fr. Jernej serves as the superior of the Austrian community of St.
George in Türkiye’s capital city and explains that the Catholics there come
from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities.
He also says the number of Turkish Catholics is growing,
expressing what “a great joy” it is for them to “see that the local Church is
also growing.”
Interior of Sankt Georg Church
Türkiye is a secular state with no official religion,
following the constitutional amendment of 1924. As Christianity is a minority
in the country, numbers have been reported around 100,000 divided into
different denominations: Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and
Assyrian-Chaldean.
Yet, Fr. Jernej describes the ecumenical relations with
other Christian churches as “very familiar.” They visit each other and
“celebrate the week of prayer for unity—eight full days here in Istanbul.”
Father Alexander
Jernej, CM (centre) with Vatican News correspondents Christine Seuss and
Christopher Wells
A papal presence
Now, as Pope Leo makes his first Apostolic Journey to
Türkiye, Fr. Jernej stresses that they are happy the Holy Father will visit the
Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I, as well as other patriarchs and the local
Catholic community.
“We are very excited, and we’re looking forward to this
great occasion,” the Vincentian superior notes.
Pope Leo is not the first pontiff to visit Istanbul. Four of
his predecessors have also made the journey: Paul VI in 1967, John Paul II in
1979, Benedict XVI in 2006, and Francis in 2014; while Archbishop Angelo
Roncalli—who later became Pope John XXIII—served in Istanbul as Apostolic
Delegate to Türkiye and Greece from 1935 to 1944.
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