The visit of Pope Leo XIV to Turkey and Lebanon, beginning today, is regarded by Italian analysts as an event of exceptional significance. The journey was initially envisioned by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the late Pope Francis as a joint commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, where the Christian Credo—the Nicene Creed—took its essential form. The death of Pope Francis, the “pope of the poor,” last April plunged the Roman Catholic Church into mourning and delayed the initiative. By deciding to continue this important undertaking, Pope Leo XIV signals that Christian unity and dialogue with the head of the Orthodox Church are central priorities for his papacy as well.
The Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch will travel together to Nicaea, accompanied by representatives of Protestant communities, before continuing their joint program at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople, where the new Pontiff will honor the Thronal Feast of Saint Andrew.
In comments to the Athens–Macedonian News Agency (AMNA), the Pope explained the deeper meaning of the journey: “Just a few days ago, the Catholic Church published an apostolic letter that speaks precisely about the importance of the unity of Christians, which can also become a source of peace for the whole world.”
“Our Christian witness is needed,” the American Pontiff added, noting that, “Patriarch Bartholomew and I have already met several times, and I believe this will be an excellent opportunity to advance the unity of all Christians.”
Pope Leo XIV is convinced that new and substantive steps toward full Christian unity are possible—and necessary. He also believes that such progress can offer a tangible and constructive example to the world: a model of concord and reconciliation.
Marco Girardo, director of Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, explained to AMNA:
“In the apostolic letter In Unitate Fidei, which Pope Leo signed on Sunday, it is emphasized that the Council of Nicaea—when the Church was still undivided and shared a common ‘Creed’—remains the principal point of reference for all Christians.”
Girardo, a close observer of Catholic affairs, noted that this trip “could become a new piece in the mosaic of unity, including the long-sought goal of establishing a common date for Easter celebrated by both Catholics and Orthodox.”
The Pope’s visit to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, and especially his subsequent stop in Lebanon, is also expected to send a powerful message of fraternity to Muslims—particularly important in a region and historical moment in which peace is an urgent need.
Even so, the central moment of this Apostolic Journey remains the visit to Nicaea, with the message of the First Ecumenical Council and the possibility—indeed the responsibility—of Christians to walk the path of unity once again. As the Pontiff wrote, the Nicene Creed “offers a model of true unity within legitimate diversity.”
The Vatican is fully aware that the path toward unity requires careful, substantive steps and respect for the profound tradition of the “Church of the East,” Orthodoxy. Yet Pope Leo XIV also understands that achieving full communion among Christians depends above all on sincerity and purity of intention—qualities nurtured only through the language of brotherly love, the very language he and the Ecumenical Patriarch speak to one another.
Source: ANA-MPA, By Theodoros Andreadis Synggelakis
