He thanked Turkey for the warm welcome he received, particularly the government, for making the visit a success. He then answered questions from two Turkish journalists about the dialogue with Erdoğan and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and confirmed the plan for a pilgrimage by Christian communities to Jerusalem in 2033 to mark the bicentennial of the Redemption.

“Good afternoon! Good afternoon, everyone!” On the flight from Istanbul to Beirut, the second leg of his first international apostolic journey, Pope Leo XIV surprised the 81 journalists on board with a greeting: “I am happy to greet you. I hope you have had as wonderful a few days in Turkey as I have. I think it has been a marvelous experience.” He then thanked the host country and all those who made the three-day visit possible and answered questions from two Turkish journalists. One question, in particular, concerned the prospects for peace in Gaza, for which he reiterated the two-state solution. Regarding Ukraine, he called for dialogue and a ceasefire and emphasized Turkey’s potential role in mediation.

Matteo Bruni:

Good afternoon everyone! I’m glad to see you. We have completed this first part of the trip and we thank the Holy Father for his presence among us and for this first part of the journey which has given us the opportunity to continue with him.

I don’t know if he wants to say a few words… Then there are some journalists who may have prepared…

Pope Leo XIV:

Good afternoon, everyone! I’ll start by speaking in English, which I think most of you understand. I’m happy to greet you all. I hope you all had as much fun in Turkey as I did; I think it was a wonderful experience. As you know, the main reason for coming to Turkey was the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. We had that magnificent celebration—very simple, yet very profound—at the site of one of the ancient basilicas of Nicaea to commemorate the momentous event of the agreement of the entire Christian community and the profession of faith, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

Besides that, of course, there were many other events we celebrated. Personally, I want to express my gratitude to all of you for all the work that went into planning the visit, starting with the nuncio, the staff, the entire team in Rome, of course, who took care of all the organization, but in a very special way to the Turkish government, to President Erdoğan, and to so many people who made themselves available to us to ensure the trip was a complete success: his personal helicopter, numerous means of transport, organization, etc., the presence of the ministers at various times throughout the visit. So I think it was a very good outcome.

I was so happy to have the different moments we shared with the various churches, the different Christian communities, and the Orthodox Churches, culminating this morning with the Divine Liturgy with Patriarch Bartholomew. It was a wonderful celebration, and I hope you all shared that same experience. Thank you. I don’t know if there are any questions or comments, just a couple because I’m waiting for more photos.

Matteo Bruni:

We have a first question from Baris Seçkin, a Turkish journalist from the Anadolu Ajansi news agency:

Baris Seçkin (Anadolu Ajansi):

Thank you very much. At the beginning of your papal visit, you referred to world and regional peace. In this regard, what is your comment on Turkey’s role in achieving and maintaining world and regional peace, and what were your discussions with President Erdoğan on this topic? Thank you.

Pope Leo XIV:

Having come to Turkey, and of course now to Lebanon, this trip had, naturally, a special theme of, if you will, being a messenger of peace, of wanting to promote peace throughout the region. Turkey has a number of qualities, if you will: it is a country where the vast majority is Muslim, and yet there is a presence of numerous Christian communities, although they are a very small minority, and still people of different faiths are able to live together in peace. And that is an example, I would say, of what we should all strive for throughout the world. That is to say, that despite religious differences, despite ethnic differences, despite many other differences, people can live in peace. Turkey itself has, of course, had several periods in its history when this wasn’t always the case, and yet, having experienced that and having been able to speak with President Erdoğan about peace, I think that was an important, valuable element of my visit.

Matteo Bruni:

Thank you Baris, thank you Your Holiness. The other question comes from Seyda Canepa, from Turkish television:

Seyda Canepa:

Your Holiness, with President Erdoğan, beyond the official statements, did you discuss the situation in Gaza, given that the Vatican and Turkey share the same vision regarding the two-state solution? And then, regarding Ukraine, the Vatican has repeatedly emphasized Turkey’s role, beginning with the opening of the grain corridor at the start of the conflict. So, do you see any hope for a truce in Ukraine and a faster peace process in Gaza at this time? Thank you very much.

Pope Leo XIV:

Thank you! We certainly discussed both situations. The Holy See has publicly supported the two-state solution proposal for several years now. We all know that Israel does not yet accept this solution, but we see it as the only solution that could offer—let’s say—a resolution to the ongoing conflict. We are also friends of Israel and seek to be a mediating voice for both sides, helping us move closer to a just solution for all. We discussed this with President Erdoğan, and he certainly agrees with this proposal. Turkey has an important role to play in this.

The same applies to Ukraine. A few months ago, with the possibility of dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, the president played a significant role in bringing both sides together. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a solution yet, but today there are concrete proposals for peace once again. We hope that President Erdoğan, with his connections to the presidents of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, can help in this regard to promote dialogue, a ceasefire, and find a way to resolve this conflict, this war in Ukraine. Thank you.

Greetings to all. Safe travels… [Matteo Bruni] suggested I say a few words after the important ecumenical meeting in Nicaea, and then yesterday morning we discussed possible future gatherings. One would be in 2033, the two-thousandth anniversary of the Redemption, of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is clearly an event that all Christians want to celebrate. The idea was well received; we haven’t extended the invitation yet, but the possibility is to celebrate, for example, this great event of the Resurrection in Jerusalem in 2033. There are still years to prepare. But it was a very beautiful meeting, because Christians from different traditions were present and were also able to participate in this time.

Thank you. Thank you all.