Pope Leo has warned that a “third world war is being fought piecemeal,” urging global leaders not to “give in” to rising geopolitical tensions as he arrived in Turkey on Thursday, November 27, for his first overseas trip as head of the Catholic Church.
Speaking in Ankara alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Leo said the world was facing “a heightened level of conflict on the global level, fuelled by prevailing strategies of economic and military power,” adding: “The future of humanity is at stake.”
Turkey, home to about 36,000 Catholics, is the first stop on a strategic tour that will take the pope to Lebanon on Sunday amid fears of escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah after a deadly Israeli strike in Beirut earlier this week.
Leo urged Turkish leaders to embrace the country’s potential as “a source of stability and rapprochement between peoples,” referencing Ankara’s growing diplomatic role in conflicts including Gaza and Ukraine.
During his visit, Leo will also meet Patriarch Bartholomew for celebrations marking 1,700 years since the historic Council of Nicaea, visit Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, and celebrate Mass at Volkswagen Arena.
The pope’s arrival has attracted intense attention in both countries, with banners of his image appearing throughout Beirut and Turkish media tracking Vatican preparations.
Vatican expert Christopher White said Leo would use the trip to advance his central message of peace, addressing both world leaders and Christian communities.
The Nicaea anniversary, he added, offers Leo a key platform “to remind believers what they share in common is far greater than their divisions.”
Leo will lead prayers at Beirut’s port, devastated by the 2020 explosion, and visit a Catholic-run psychiatric hospital.
Despite criticism over not visiting Christian communities in southern Lebanon, Vatican officials say security concerns make such a trip impossible.
Source: The Guardian.
