In Turkey, Pope Leo XIV categorically recognized Ankara as a peace mediator, while the Turkish president explicitly confirmed his firm tone in condemning the atrocities committed in Gaza, as well as Israel as the main regional destabilizing factor. This is stated in an analysis for the Anadolu Agency by Valeria Giannotta, scientific director of the Observatory for Turkey at the Roman think tank CeSPI. According to her, the trip of the Vatican head of state, Pope Leo XIV, to Turkey is already historic, as it left an indelible mark not only on the bilateral level between the Holy See and Ankara, but also on the regional and international level, due to its important message of dialogue and peace.
“This was his first visit abroad and he was welcomed in a country that is a true home of peaceful, multicultural coexistence,” Giannotta also notes.
The Bridge Turkey
The Bridge is Turkey is a symbol with strong semiotic connotations. The bridge traditionally recalls the great infrastructure projects in Istanbul that unite Anatolia and Europe. In this way, Turkey emerges as a natural link between East and West, Asia and Europe.
In this regard, Ankara’s political focus on dialogue and mediation has not been overlooked, as it has been diligently engaged in diplomatic mediation in critical scenarios such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Israeli genocide in Gaza, the analysis further states.
Furthermore, it is worth noting Turkey’s investments in dialogue and stabilization efforts in various regional arenas, ranging from the Middle East to the Caucasus, Africa and the entire world.
In this regard, Pope Leo clearly speaks of the “threats looming over humanity,” referring to the current Third World War, and the importance of being “united in working for peace through dialogue.”
“You have an important place in both the present and the future of the Mediterranean, and in the entire world, above all by valuing your internal diversity,” the pope said in Ankara during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In fact, it is in this territory that different religious and cultural identities have coexisted for centuries and where Christianity has acquired a historical shape, despite experiencing the formal division between the Eastern and Western Churches.
The Pope took off his shoes at the Blue Mosque, but did not pray
Pope Leo visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul last Saturday, his third day in Türkiye, taking off his shoes as a sign of respect, but did not appear to pray during his first visit as leader of the Catholic Church to a Muslim place of worship during his four-day visit to Turkey, the Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported. The first American pope bowed briefly before entering the mosque and was led by the imam and mufti of Istanbul through the sprawling complex, which can accommodate 10,000 worshippers.
Pope Leo, wearing white socks, smiled during the 20-minute visit and joked with one of his guides, the mosque’s lead muezzin—the official who leads the daily call to prayer.
As the group left the building, the pope noticed that he was being led through a door that is usually an entrance, where a sign read: “No Exit.” “It says there is no exit,” Pope Leo said, smiling. The muezzin, Askin Musa Tunca, replied: “You don’t have to go out, you can stay here.”
Muezzin Askin Musa Tunca told reporters after visiting the mosque that he had asked the pope during the tour if he wanted to pray for a moment, but the head of the Roman Catholic Church said he preferred to simply visit the mosque. In a statement immediately after the visit, the Vatican said Pope Leo had undertaken the tour “in a spirit of reflection and listening, with profound respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer.”
Illustrative Photo by Alex Azabache: https://www.pexels.com/photo/the-blue-mosque-3214994/
