Vatican Theme for Pope Leo’s Trip to Turkey: One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
Roman pontiff and Pat. Bartholomew to mark 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea.
ROME — The Vatican has announced that the guiding phrase for Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming visit to Asia Minor, set for the end of November, will be “One Lord, one faith, one baptism,” in an attempt to highlight shared Christian roots uniting East and West.
As reported by the Orthodox Times, with reference to Vatican News, Pope Leo will travel with Pat. Bartholomew to Nicaea to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, before continuing to Istanbul and Ankara for meetings with church and state leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
According to the Vatican’s official itinerary, the Pontiff will depart Rome for Ankara on Nov. 27, meeting the Turkish President and members of the diplomatic corps. The following day, Pope Leo and Pat. Bartholomew will preside over an Ecumenical Prayer Gathering at the archaeological site of the Basilica of St. Neophytos in Nicaea, before traveling to Constantinople.
On Nov. 29, the Pope will visit the Blue Mosque and the Phanar, where he and the Patriarch will attend a Doxology service, hold a private meeting, and sign a joint declaration. Later that day, the Pope will celebrate Mass at the Volkswagen Arena.
The visit will conclude on Nov. 30, the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, when Pope Leo will attend the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. George and deliver an address before joining Pat. Bartholomew for a luncheon. That afternoon, Pope Leo will depart for Lebanon, continuing his journey through Dec. 2.
Previously, UOJ reported that Pope Leo XIV has announced his plan to visit Iznik, Turkey — a town built on the ruins of Nicaea — to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.
