Pontiff Urges Ankara to be a ‘Source of Stability’ Amid Mideast and Ukraine Conflicts

ANKARA: Pope Leo XIV used his first foreign papal trip to Turkey today to issue a powerful plea for dialogue and peace in a world “riven by conflict,” specifically pointing to heightened tensions in the Middle East and Ukraine.

The American pontiff was welcomed to Ankara by a military guard of honour and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace. Speaking to the diplomatic corps, Pope Leo praised Turkey’s historic role as a “bridge between East and West, religions and cultures.”

“May Turkey be a source of stability and rapprochement between peoples, in service of a just and lasting peace,” the Pope said. “Today, more than ever, we need people who will promote dialogue and practice it with firm will and patient resolve.”

While the Pope did not explicitly name the current crises, he quoted his predecessor, Pope Francis, lamenting that the world’s ongoing wars amount to a “third world war fought piecemeal.” He stressed that “The future of humanity is at stake” if global conflict levels are not reduced. Turkey has recently hosted unsuccessful peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and has offered to join a stabilisation force in Gaza.

Pope Leo XIV, who is the fifth Pope to visit Turkey, also traveled to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325), Christianity’s first ecumenical council, which established the Nicene Creed. The Pope is scheduled to join Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew on Friday to mark the anniversary of the historic event, which took place in Iznik (ancient Nicaea).