The President of Türkiye speaks to authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps with Pope Leo (@Vatican Media)
Pope in Türkiye: Let us build bridges of fraternity and
peace
On his first Apostolic Journey abroad, Pope Leo XIV
addresses authorities in Ankara, urging Türkiye to embrace its vocation as a
bridge between cultures, faiths, and continents, and calling the world to
reject division and pursue dialogue.
By Francesca Merlo
Pope Leo XIV landed in Ankara only a few hours ago, stepping
onto Turkish soil and kicking off the first leg of his first Apostolic Journey,
taking place from November 27 to December 3.
The journey will take him from Istanbul to Iznik, where the
Church marks the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea,
and then, on Sunday, November 30, the Holy Father will travel to Lebanon.
Today, Pope Leo kicks off the journey in Türkiye’s
Presidential Palace and then at the Nation's Library, where authorities, civil
society, and members of the diplomatic corps gathered to hear the Pope's first
words during his initial Apostolic Journey abroad.
“A land that beckons humanity to fraternity”
Addressing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Pope Leo
expressed gratitude for the warm welcome extended to him. He spoke of Türkiye
as a land “inextricably linked to the origins of Christianity,” yet also one
that calls together all children of Abraham—Muslims, Christians, and Jews—to
recognize difference not as division, but as a pathway to fraternity.
The Pope reflected on the natural beauty and rich cultural
diversity of the country, describing them as reminders that human civilization
flourishes where generations, ideas, and traditions meet.
Such diversity, he stressed, is not a threat but a safeguard
of social vitality. “Uniformity would be an impoverishment,” he said, insisting
that bridges—real and symbolic—are what sustain a truly civil society.
Bridge as a symbol of Türkiye’s vocation
The emblem chosen for the Pope’s journey depicts the bridge
over the Dardanelles Strait. It is, the Pope said, a symbol of Türkiye’s unique
identity: a nation physically connecting Asia to Europe, but even more
profoundly, connecting itself—from east to west, from tradition to modernity,
from difference to unity.
Pope Leo joins members
of the diplomatic corps and civil authorities (@Vatican Media)
In a world strained by polarization and extreme positions,
he warned, societies risk fragmentation.
Yet Christians in Türkiye, he affirmed, stand ready to
contribute positively to the country’s unity, recalling the affection of Saint
John XXIII, who once served here and urged Catholics to reject isolation and
embrace a “culture of encounter.” Those words, the Holy Father noted, remain
strikingly relevant today.
“God built a bridge between heaven and earth”
Pope Leo turned to the Gospel image of God as
bridge-builder—God who, in revealing Himself, created a passage between heaven
and earth so that hearts might learn to mirror His compassion.
Justice and mercy, he insisted, must challenge the logic of
domination. Compassion and solidarity—not power—must be the true measures of
development.
He warned of the dangers of technological progress detached
from ethics, reminding his listeners that even artificial intelligence
ultimately magnifies human choices. “Processes are not the work of machines,
but of humanity itself,” he said, urging leaders to work together “to repair
the damage done to the unity of our human family.”
Family at the heart of Turkish society
Turning to a theme close to the hearts of many Turks, Pope
Leo spoke of the family as “the first nucleus of social life,” the space where
each person learns the essential truth that “without the other, there is no I.”
He celebrated the country’s efforts to strengthen the role
of the family, while also acknowledging the risks any family faces if it
isolates itself or suppresses the voices of its own members.
Happiness, he said, does not come from individualism nor
from scorning the bonds of marriage and openness to life.
The Pope made his
first public address in Ankara, Türkiye at the Nation's Library
(@Vatican Media)
He warned of consumerist cultures that turn loneliness into
a commodity, urging instead “a culture that appreciates affection and personal
connection”—a culture in which both conjugal love and the indispensable
contribution of women are honoured.
Women, he affirmed, increasingly enrich the country through
scholarship, professional life, public service, and cultural leadership.
A call for Türkiye to be a source of peace
The Holy Father expressed his hope that Türkiye may continue
to serve as “a source of stability and rapprochement between peoples,”
recalling the visits of Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis.
His own visit, tied to the anniversary of Nicaea, where early
Christians met to seek unity of faith, speaks of the eternal need for dialogue
and encounter.
At a time when the world is once again marked by heightened
conflict, he warned against what Pope Francis called “a third world war fought
piecemeal.”
Nations, he said, are investing their energies in
destructive dynamics rather than in the shared challenges of peace, combating
hunger, protecting creation, and securing education and health for all.
Walking together in truth and friendship
The Holy See, Pope Leo said, comes with “only its spiritual
and moral strength,” yet with a firm desire to work alongside all nations
committed to the integral development of every person.
“Let us walk together,” he concluded, “in truth and
friendship, humbly trusting in the help of God.”
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