Pope, Orthodox leader mark Christian milestone in historic Turkiye meeting

First American pope urges Catholic Church successful Turkiye to service the astir vulnerable, including migrants and refugees.

Pope Leo XIV is acceptable to articulation the person of the world’s Orthodox Christians to observe the historical 1,700-year milestone since 1 of the aboriginal Church’s astir important gatherings, connected the 2nd time of his sojourn to Turkiye.

The person of the world’s 1.4 cardinal Catholics began his time connected Friday by joining a supplication work astatine Istanbul’s Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

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The archetypal American pope has chosen the Muslim-majority Turkiye arsenic his archetypal overseas destination, to beryllium followed by Lebanon successful the coming days, arsenic helium seeks to beryllium a bridge-builder and a messenger of bid amid raging planetary conflict.

In Istanbul, constabulary unopen down a main artery of the country’s largest metropolis to let Leo’s entourage to pass. After the religion service, helium was scheduled to sojourn a nursing location and conscionable with Turkiye’s main rabbi.

Pilgrims packed into Holy Spirit religion portion dozens much waited excitedly successful the courtyard extracurricular successful the anticipation of getting a glimpse of the pontiff, getting up earlier dawn to beryllium successful the beforehand line.

“It’s a blessing for us, it’s truthful important that the archetypal sojourn of the pope is to our country,” a 35-year-old Turkish Catholic, Ali Gunuru, told AFP quality agency.

Catherine Bermudez, a Filipino migrant idiosyncratic successful Istanbul, told Al Jazeera that she was “very excited” to beryllium chosen arsenic 1 of the parishioners to greet the pope wrong the church.

Pope Leo greets parishioners of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit successful Istanbul connected his 2nd time successful Turkiye [Alessandro Di Meo/EPA]

Visibly moved by his reception astatine the church, Leo could beryllium seen smiling and looking overmuch much astatine easiness than connected Thursday, encouraging his flock not to beryllium discouraged, saying “the logic of littleness is the church’s existent strength”.

“The religion successful Turkiye is simply a tiny community, yet fruitful,” helium said successful his address, urging them to springiness “special attention” to helping migrants and refugees staying successful Turkiye who fig astir 3 million, astir of them Syrians.

Next papal halt successful Iznik

Later connected Friday, the 70-year-old pontiff volition caput to Iznik to observe the 1,700th day of the First Council of Nicaea, a gathering of bishops who drew up a foundational connection of religion inactive cardinal to Christianity contiguous contempt the separation of the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Leo volition beryllium flown by chopper to Iznik wherever helium has been invited by the Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, person of the world’s Orthodox Christians, to articulation an ecumenical supplication work by the ruins of a fourth-century basilica.

“When the satellite is troubled and divided by struggle and antagonism, our gathering with Pope Leo XIV is particularly significant,” Patriarch Bartholomew told AFP quality bureau successful an interview.

Reports said that Turkish constabulary removed Mehmet Ali Agca, the antheral who changeable and earnestly wounded Pope John Paul II successful Rome successful 1981, from Iznik connected Thursday.

Agca – who was released from situation successful 2010 – said helium had hoped to conscionable the pope, telling reporters that “I anticipation we tin beryllium down and speech successful Iznik, oregon successful Istanbul, for 2 oregon 3 minutes.”

Pope Leo is the 5th pontiff to sojourn Turkiye, aft Paul VI successful 1967, John Paul II successful 1979, Benedict XVI successful 2006 and Francis successful 2014.