Pope In Turkey Meets With Orthodox Patriarch

The heads of Christian denominations signed an important document.

Pope Leo XIV met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul on Saturday, November 29 . The presidents of the Catholic and Orthodox faiths expressed support for interreligious dialog and signed a joint declaration expressing their desire to restore "full communion" between their churches. They said, among other things, that they would continue to work to establish a common date for Catholics and Orthodox Christians to celebrate Easter, Deutsche Welle reported.

The joint declaration by the religious leaders also said, "The goal of Christian unity is also to make a vital contribution to peace among all peoples. We are unanimous in our fervent prayer to God to grant peace to the world. Alas, war and violence continue in many lands, destroying countless lives. We appeal to those who bear civil and political responsibility to do their utmost to bring the tragedy of war to an immediate end. We ask all people of goodwill to support our appeal."

The Patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope emphasized that they "firmly" reject "any use of religion and the name of God to justify violence." "Although we are deeply disturbed by the current state of the world, we do not fall into despair. God will not abandon humanity," Leo XIV and Bartholomew expressed confidence.

On November 28, they visited Iznik together, the city where the first Ecumenical Council (First Council of Nicaea) in the history of Christianity was held 1,700 years ago. There, a joint ecumenical prayer service was held at the archaeological site of the ancient Basilica of St. Neophytos on the shores of Lake Iznik.

The new pope's first foreign trip is to Turkey and Lebanon

On November 29, the third day of his visit to Turkey, the 70-year-old Pope Leo XIV also visited the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. The pontiff then celebrated his first Mass in the country. The head of the Catholic Church was welcomed by about 4,000 faithful at the Volkswagen Arena sports center.

November 30, Leo XIV will travel to Lebanon, where he will stay until December 2. The Pontiff will meet with the country's leadership and visit the site of the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut, which killed 220 people in 2020. It is planned that on the last day of his visit to Lebanon, the Pope will celebrate an open-air Mass, which will be attended by more than 120,000 faithful.

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