Overview
- The pope arrived in Ankara, visited Atatürk’s mausoleum, met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and addressed diplomats before flying to Istanbul.
- In his remarks, he called for Turkey to act as a “factor of stability and rapprochement between peoples” in pursuit of a just and durable peace.
- The Turkey leg features ecumenical events in Istanbul and Iznik to mark 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea, including prayer with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and a planned joint declaration.
- Interreligious outreach includes a visit to the Blue Mosque and meetings with Christian communities, with public speeches delivered in his native English.
- The Lebanon segment remains on schedule with Vatican security measures, with meetings of state leaders and a silent prayer at Beirut’s 2020 port blast site plus visits to Harissa and Annaya.