Pope Leo XIV arrives in Turkey

Today, Pope Leo arrived in Turkey on his first trip outside Italy as leader of the Catholic Church.

Leo landed in Ankara at 12:22 p.m. (09:22 GMT) for what is a crowded three-day itinerary in Turkey before heading on to Lebanon on Sunday.

The pontiff was welcomed by high-ranking Turkish officials including Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.

He is later scheduled to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Prior to the meeting, he is expected to visit Anıtkabir, mauseloum of Türkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Erdogan and Pope Leo are set to hold a news conference in Ankara’s Presidential National Library. They are expected to discuss Türkiye-Vatican relations in a private meeting, as well as current regional and global issues, including developments in Palestine.

Leo XIV will meet Christian clerics on Friday at Saint Esprit Cathedral, visit the French Poorhouse Nursing Home and travel by helicopter to Iznik for a service.

On Saturday, he will visit Sultanahmet Mosque, the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church, meet with Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos and lead a service at Volkswagen Arena.

The visit will conclude with a service at the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church and a return visit to the Fener Greek Patriarchate to mark the Patriarchate’s founding anniversary.

Leo, making his first foreign visit since ascending to the head of the Catholic Church, will be in Ankara, Istanbul and Iznik on November 27-30.