Year 2025

POPE LEONE XIV'S JOURNEY TO TURKEY BEGINS

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Ankara  ||  | 27 November 2025
Tutte le Attività (EN) - Anno 2025

A delegation from the "United States of the World" and the "Fondazione Mediterraneo" accompanied Pope Leone XIV on his first Apostolic Journey to Turkey and Lebanon.
During the flight taking Pope Leo XIV to Ankara, the first stop on his first Apostolic Journey, there was great excitement among journalists who greeted the Pontiff and took selfies with him. The Pope visited the captain of the aircraft and received various gifts, including a baseball bat.
At 12.30 pm, Pope Leo XIV arrives in the Turkish capital. We await him in delegation at the Atatürk Mausoleum, where the Holy Father is welcomed by the Turkish authorities.
After a group photo with the delegation, Pope Leo XIV heads to the Misak-ı Millî Tower to sign the “Book of Honour”; he then pays a brief visit to the museum dedicated to Atatürk and the history of the Republic.
At 2:00 p.m., the Holy Father travels by car to the Presidential Palace where, upon arrival, he is escorted by the traditional Turkish cavalry to the main entrance gate: a gesture of great impact with dozens of horsemen symbolising Turkish hospitality and traditions; those at the front of the line carry the flags of Turkey and Vatican City.
The Pope is welcomed by President Erdoğan and together they proceed to the podium.
After the national anthems, 21 cannon shots, the honouring of the flags, the Guard of Honour, the presentation of the respective delegations and the official photo at the entrance to the Presidential Palace, the President and the Pope take the lift to the second floor of the Presidential Palace for a group photo with the Turkish delegation and the Vatican delegation. They then moved to the President's Office for a private meeting, the presentation of the family and a photo with the family.
Immediately afterwards, the text of President Erdoğan's address to the Pope was distributed, and we find many points that repeat what Erdoğan himself had said during his visit to Naples in 2005 at the headquarters of the “United States of the World” and in other subsequent meetings with us, as if time had not passed and the problems had remained crystallised in history.
At 3:45 p.m., the Pope arrives at the Nation's Library (National Library) where he meets with authorities, civil society, the diplomatic corps and representatives of international institutions, such as the “United States of the World”.
The meeting takes place in the central hall, dominated by a large blue globe: looking at it while the Pope delivers his speech, one gets the impression of a connection with our "House for Peace", even if only as an idea, since our project is much more complex and stands out for its adherence to the values of peace and protection of the planet, as described in the previous chapter 23. In the front row are Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, current Prefect of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches of the Holy See.