Just last month, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV would be making his first apostolic visit to Türkiye and Lebanon, two nearby Middle Eastern countries separated by Syria and the Mediterranean Sea. Türkiye, a Holy Land which was once home to over 3 million Christians, now has a few hundred thousand Christians out of over 85 million people. According to the World Population Review, only 0.05% of the Turkish population is Catholic. This equates to roughly 35,000 Catholics, many of whom are migrants from Africa and the Philippines. Christians have been systemically discriminated against and persecuted in Türkiye due to their faith. Since 2020, Türkiye has banned over 200 foreign Christian workers and their families, even though some of them have resided in the country for decades. Church buildings have been targeted in hate crimes, including vandalism and shootings/attacks. Christians in Türkiye have faced threats, verbal insults, and employment discrimination due to their faith. So, why would Pope Leo XIV choose this country as the first one to make a papal visit to?  First of all, Türkiye is rich in Christian history. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus writes letters for John to deliver to the seven churches of Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The ruins of the Ephesus church, The House of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. John’s tomb are situated in the city of Ephesus. The oldest cave church in the world, the Cave Church of St. Peter, is located in Antakya. Pope Leo is set to meet with Greek, Armenian, and Syriac Christian communities in Istanbul. He will visit the Syrian Orthodox Church of Mor Efrem (opened in 2023), the first new church built in Türkiye in more than 100 years. His meeting with those tiny communities, and his visit to that church, signal his support and solidarity with his Christian brethren. It also shows his empathy towards the efforts they are making to keep the Christian faith alive in Türkiye amidst oppression and suppression.  Pope Leo will also journey with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, who lives in Istanbul,  to Iznik, once known as Nicaea. There, they will commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the significant first ecumenical council. Papal visits to a country tend to attract Catholic tourists hoping to hear words of wisdom from the pope and receive his blessing. Although it is uncertain if Pope Leo will personally call out the religious persecution in Türkiye, his presence alone may be the first step towards peace and reconciliation between Christians and non-Christians living there. At the very least, the publicity from the pope’s visit could pressure the Turkish government and locals to re-examine how they treat and co-exist with Christians in their country. When Pope Francis visited Mongolia, another minority Catholic country, there was interfaith dialogue, a spirit of evangelization, and recognition of the overlooked Christians in the country. In his homily on September 3, 2023, Pope Francis shared these inspiring words:

At the heart of Christianity is an amazing and extraordinary message. If you lose your life, if you make it a generous offering in service, if you risk it by choosing to love, if you make it a free gift for others, then it will return to you in abundance, and you will be overwhelmed by endless joy, peace of heart, and inner strength and support; and we need inner peace.

Pope Leo’s first apostolic journey to Türkiye, similarly, will foster interreligious dialogue and give hope and courage to the Christians living there. Christians in Türkiye will surely be reminded that they are not alone as they have Pope Leo and the faithful worldwide behind them. Though they may encounter suffering and hardship, their perseverance and faith can bring the light of Christ to those around them.