Pope Leo XIV Finishes Third Day of Papal Trip with Mass in Istanbul

In 2025, Catholics in muslim-majority Turkey make up roughly 0.05% of the nation’s 85 million people, with about 33,000–35,000 faithful.  On Saturday night, around 4,000 of them attended Pope Leo’s first public Mass of his first trip abroad, many traveling several hours to be there.

Pope Leo XIV said Mass at Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul, Turkey on the third day of his papal trip to the country.

Watch and read the Holy Father's homily delivered at the Mass on Nov. 29.

Homily text via the Dicastery for Communication:

Dear brothers and sisters,

We celebrate this Mass on the eve of the day on which the Church commemorates Saint Andrew, Apostle and Patron of this land. At the same time, we begin Advent, the season for preparing ourselves to experience anew at Christmas the mystery of Jesus, the Son of God, “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father” (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed), as solemnly declared 1700 years ago by the Fathers gathered at the Council of Nicaea.

In this context, the first reading (cf. Is 2:1-5) of today’s Mass comes from one of the most beautiful passages in the book of the prophet Isaiah, where the invitation resounds, beckoning all peoples to ascend the mountain of the Lord (cf. v. 3), a place of light and peace. I would like, then, to meditate together on what it means to be part of the Church by reflecting on some of the images presented in this text.

The first image is that of the mountain “established as the highest of the mountains” (cf. Is 2:2). It reminds us that the fruits of God’s action in our lives are a gift not only for us, but for everyone. Zion is a city set on the mountain and symbol of a community reborn in fidelity. Its beauty is a beacon of light for men and women from every place, and serves as a reminder that the joy of goodness is contagious. The lives of many saints confirm this. Saint Peter meets Jesus thanks to the enthusiasm of his brother Andrew (cf. Jn 1:40-42), who was led to the Lord, along with the Apostle John, by John the Baptist’s zeal. Saint Augustine, centuries later, comes to Christ thanks to the ardent preaching of Saint Ambrose and there are many similar examples.

We find here an invitation to renew the power of our own witness of faith. Saint John Chrysostom, a great shepherd of this Church, spoke of the allure of holiness as a sign more eloquent than many miracles. He said: “The miracle happens and passes, but the Christian life remains and continually edifies” (Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, 43, 5). In conclusion, he exhorted: “Let us therefore watch over ourselves, so that we may also benefit others” (ibid.). Dear friends, if we truly want to help the people we meet, let us “keep watch” over ourselves, as the Gospel recommends (cf. Mt 24:42) by cultivating our faith with prayer with the sacraments, living it consistently in charity, and casting off — as Saint Paul tells us in the second reading — the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light (cf. Rom 13:12). The Lord, whom we await in glory at the end of time, comes every day to knock at our door. Let us be ready for him (cf. Mt 24:44), sincerely committed to living a life of goodness, after the example of the numerous holy men and women who have dwelt in this land throughout the ages.

The second image that comes to us from the prophet Isaiah is that of a world in which peace reigns. This is how he describes it: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Is 2:4). How urgent this call is for us today! How great the need for peace, unity and reconciliation around us, within us and among us! What can our contribution be in response?

To better understand this, let us look at the logo of this journey, in which one of the images chosen is that of a bridge. It can also make us think to the famous large viaduct in this city, which crosses the Bosporus Strait and unites two continents: Asia and Europe. Over time, two other crossings have been added, so that there are now three points of connection between the two sides. These three great structures of communication, exchange and encounter are impressive to behold, yet so small and fragile in comparison to the immense territories they connect.

Their triple span across the Strait reminds us of the importance of our common efforts to build bridges of unity on three levels: within the community, in ecumenical relations with members of other Christian denominations, and in our encounters with brothers and sisters belonging to other religions. Taking care of these three bonds, strengthening and expanding them in every way possible, is part of our vocation to be a city set on a hill (cf. Mt 5:14-16).

The first bond of unity that I just mentioned is the one within this Church, which in this country consists of four different liturgical traditions — Latin, Armenian, Chaldean and Syriac. Each one contributes its own spiritual, historical and ecclesial richness. The sharing of these differences clearly demonstrate one of the most beautiful features of the face of the Bride of Christ: a catholicity that unites. The unity that binds us together around the altar is a gift from God. As such, it is strong and invincible, because it is the work of his grace. At the same time, however, realization of this unity in time is entrusted to us, to our efforts. For this reason, like the bridges over the Bosporus, unity needs care, attention and “maintenance,” so that its foundations remain solid and are not weakened by time and vicissitudes. With our eyes turned to the promised mountain, an image of the Heavenly Jerusalem, which is our destination and mother (cf. Gal 4:26), let us make every effort, then, to foster and strengthen the bonds that unite us, so that we may enrich one another and be a credible sign before the world of the Lord’s universal and infinite love.

The second bond of unity that this liturgy suggests is ecumenism. This is also attested to by the presence of Representatives of other Christian Confessions, whom I warmly greet. Indeed, the same faith in Jesus our Savior unites not only those of us within the Catholic Church, but all our brothers and sisters belonging to other Christian Churches. We experienced this yesterday in our prayer at İznik. This too is a path along which we have been walking together for some time. Saint John XXIII, who was connected to this land by profound ties of mutual affection, was a great promoter of, and witness to, ecumenical communion. Therefore, while we ask in the words of Pope John that “the great mystery of that unity which Christ Jesus asked of the Heavenly Father with ardent prayers on the eve of his sacrifice may be accomplished” (Opening Address of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, October 11, 1962, 8.2), we renew today our “yes” to unity, “that they may all be one” (Jn 17:21), ut unum sint.

The third bond of unity, to which the word of God calls us, is that with members of non-Christian communities. We live in a world where religion is too often used to justify wars and atrocities. As the Second Vatican Council declared, however, “the attitude of human beings towards God the Father and that of a human being towards his fellow men and women are so closely connected that Scripture says: ‘Whoever does not love does not know God’ (1 Jn 4:8)” (Declaration Nostra Aetate, 5). Therefore, we want to walk together by appreciating what unites us, breaking down the walls of prejudice and mistrust, promoting mutual knowledge and esteem in order to give to all a strong message of hope and an invitation to become “peacemakers” (Mt 5:9).

Dear friends, let us make these values our resolutions for the season of Advent and even more so for our personal and communal life. We journey as if on a bridge that connects earth to Heaven, a bridge that the Lord has built for us. Let us always keep our eyes fixed on both shores, so that we may love God and our brothers and sisters with all our hearts in order to journey together and find ourselves one day united in the house of the Father.

In a touching moment at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul on Nov. 28, a child eagerly awaited and received the blessing of Pope Leo XIV.

The Holy Father explained in his address: “When we look into the eyes of God, we discover that He chose the path of humility and came down among us. This is the way of the Lord, and we are all called to bear witness to Him.”

Pope Leo XIV marked the start of Advent on Saturday with an appeal for unity and peace, telling thousands gathered for Mass in Istanbul that Christians “journey as if on a bridge that connects earth to Heaven,” keeping their eyes “fixed on both shores” until they are united “in the house of the Father.”

The pope celebrated Mass on Nov. 29 at the Volkswagen Arena, a large multipurpose venue within Istanbul’s Uniq cultural complex.

Read more from EWTN News' Elias Turk, on the ground in Turkey.

Pope Leo XIV held his first public Mass abroad on Nov. 29 at Volkswagen Arena, a venue in Istanbul's Maslak neighborhood.

Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi with EWTN News was there to capture the long procession into the Mass, with the Holy Father blessing the crowd on his way to the altar.

Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople said on Saturday they are “deeply alarmed by the current international situation,” issuing a joint appeal for peace.

The two leaders signed the joint declaration at the Palace of the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul rejecting the use of religion to justify violence and urging global efforts toward peace.

Read more from EWTN News' Elias Turk, on the ground in Turkey.

Earlier on Saturday, Pope Leo XIV prayed at the Patriarchal Church of St. George, the seat and principal cathedral of Patriarch Bartholomew I, the head of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and spiritual leader of the world’s approximately 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Advent prepares us “to experience anew at Christmas the mystery of Jesus, the Son of God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father,” the pope said in his homily at a Nov. 29 Mass at Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul.

He also invited the Catholic community to be unified, naming the different Catholic rites present in Turkey: Latin, Armenian, Chaldean, and Syriac. “Unity needs care, attention and maintenance,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV has begun the celebration of Mass for approximately 4,000 Catholics at Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul, Turkey.

Catholics in Turkey make up roughly 0.05% of the nation’s 85 million people.

Watch the papal Mass live here.

Pope Leo XIV and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I signed a joint declaration on Saturday stating their continued commitment to continued dialogue aimed at restoring full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

In the declaration, signed at the Palace of the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul, the heads of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches emphasized that Christian unity is a divine gift, and called all clergy and faithful to pray and work for the fulfillment of Christ’s prayer “that they may all be one.”

Following the signing, Leo and Bartholomew I had time for a private conversation.

Pope Leo spoke about unity and friendship in a brief address at St. George’s Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchal Church during  a prayer service on Saturday.

Speaking during the Doxology, an ancient prayer of praise to God, the pope said he “experienced great emotion” when he entered the Orthodox church.

After the prayer, there was a private meeting between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox delegations.

Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I lit a candle together at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul in a sign of Christian unity.

The pope visited the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul to participate in a Doxology, a prayer of praise to God. 

The church is the seat and principal cathedral of Patriarch Bartholomew I, the head of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and spiritual leader of the world’s approximately 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians.

The papal plane set to fly Pope Leo XIV from Turkey to Lebanon on Sunday is one of thousands of Airbus A320 aircraft affected by a computer issue.

Around 6,000 Airbus planes were grounded this weekend after it was discovered that intense solar radiation could interfere with onboard flight control computers, according to the BBC. For most of the affected aircraft, the issue could be resolved with a software update, but around 900 planes, including the papal plane, needed onboard computers physically replaced.

According to the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, a plane arrived to Istanbul from Rome on Saturday with a technician and the replacement computer for Pope Leo’s ITA Airways A320neo. 

Leo is scheduled to take a two-hour flight from Istanbul to Beirut around midday on Nov. 30, for the second leg of his apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon.

Pope Leo XIV invited Christian leaders and heads of churches to walk together on a spiritual journey toward the Jubilee of Redemption in 2033, according to the Holy See Press Office.

At the end of his meeting at the Syriac Orthodox Church of Mor Ephrem in Istanbul on Saturday, the pope spoke about the value of the Council of Nicaea and Friday’s commemoration in Iznik, Turkey. 

“He asked for and assured his prayers for new meetings and moments like the one experienced, even with those Churches that were unable to be present,” the Vatican press office said. Leo “recalled the primacy of evangelization and the proclamation of the kerygma and reminded us that division among Christians is an obstacle to their witness.”

Pope Leo XIV started his third day in Turkey on Saturday with a visit to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul. The visit was a gesture of respect towards the Islamic world, fraternity with Muslims, and continuity in building bridges of interreligious dialogue, though the pope declined an invitation to pray in the Muslim house of worship. Read more about the visit.

Pope Leo XIV had a private meeting with Syriac Orthodox Church and other Christian leaders at the Syriac Orthodox Church of Mor Ephrem in Istanbul on Saturday, including the Syrian Orthodox patriarch and the metropolitan of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch for the dioceses of Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir.

During the closed-door meeting, the pope and the Orthodox leaders each had an opportunity to briefly address the group.

The so-called “Blue Mosque” stands as one of the most important Islamic buildings in Istanbul. Its beauty, its scale, and its history continue to attract visitors from all over the world. It also holds a unique place in the relationship between Christianity and Islam, as several popes have passed through its doors in silence and respect.

Watch Pope Leo XIV's visit here.

Pope Leo XIV visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known also as the “Blue Mosque,” in Istanbul on Saturday morning, before starting a series of ecumenical meetings.

The pope declined an invitation to pray during the visit, according to its muezzin, Aşgın Musa Tunca, who accompanied Leo for a tour of the 17th-century mosque.

Read more from EWTN News' Elias Turk, on the ground in Turkey.

Pope Leo XIV and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I earlier on Friday prayed with leaders of various Christian Churches in Nicaea, modern-day Iznik, Turkey.

At the end of the prayer service, the leaders of Christian Churches and Communions prayed the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed together — 1,700 years later, at the very site it was first professed and prayed, the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos.

Outside the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul, EWTN News correspondent Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi spoke with clergy, religious, and lay pilgrims who have been moved by Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Turkey. From local Catholics to pilgrims from Texas, each voice reflects the deep spiritual impact of the Pope’s presence in a region where Christians are a small but faithful minority.

Pope Leo got emotional while praying with Catholics in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul on Friday.

To close his second day in Turkey, Pope Leo XIV met with the country’s Catholic bishops and shared dinner with them at the Apostolic Delegation where he is staying.

There are 19 retired and active bishops in Turkey, covering the Latin Archdiocese of Izmir and the Apostolic Vicariates of Anatolia and Istanbul. There are also the Armenian and Chaldean archeparchies and the Greek Catholic and Syriac exarchates.

Pope Leo XIV received some help while unveiling a commemorative plaque during his visit to Istanbul's Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on Friday.

Immigrants, converts, and students reflected on Pope Leo XIV’s visit Friday to Istanbul’s Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, a vital spiritual home for a diverse Catholic community. 

Read what people thought about this historic moment from ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner.

Pope Leo XIV commemorated the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea on Friday in the Turkish city of Iznik, southeast of Istanbul, historically known as the birthplace of the Nicene Creed.

“We are all invited to overcome the scandal of divisions,” and to nurture “the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave his life,” the pope said at a prayer service with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople and other Christian leaders.

Read more from EWTN News’ Elias Turk, on the ground in Turkey.

Pope Leo XIV joined Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople and other Christian leaders at the site of the Council of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) to mark 1,700 years since the first ecumenical council.

The ecumenical prayer service took place at the archaeological excavations of the ancient Basilica of St. Neophytus, built in 380 at the site of the first Christian ecumenical council, which was convened by Emperor Constantine I in 325.

Learn more about the Council of Nicaea here.

Pope Leo XIV addressed bishops, priests, religious, pastoral workers, and laypeople at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul on his second day in the country. Catholics in Turkey make up roughly 0.05% of the nation’s 85 million people.

Watch the full homily here.

Pope Leo XIV had a private conversation with Turkey’s Chief Rabbi David Sevi at the Apostolic Delegation where the pope is staying throughout his sojourn in Istanbul.

During the encounter, which lasted around 15 minutes, they "discussed how Pope Leo’s visit is a sign of peace and a support for all religious communities in the country," according to the Holy See Press Office.

Afterward, Leo will have lunch before moving to the airport to board a helicopter for a 30-minute flight to İznik, a town 80 miles southeast of Istanbul, where he will pray with Christian leaders at the site of the historic Council of Nicaea in 325.

In Istanbul, Pope Leo XIV visited a care home for the elderly run by a community of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

“In many social contexts, where efficiency and materialism dominate, the sense of respect for elderly people has been lost,” Leo said in the nursing home’s chapel, in the presence of around 100 sisters, staff, residents, and benefactors.

“In contrast, Sacred Scripture and good traditions teach us that — as Pope Francis loved to repeat — the elderly are the wisdom of a people, a treasure for their grandchildren, families and society as a whole,” he continued in a brief reflection. 

The encounter closed with the Hail Mary prayer.

Read more from EWTN News’ Elias Turk, on the ground in Turkey.

At the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Catholic clergy, religious brothers and sisters, and lay pastoral workers to see the Catholic community’s small size as a strength.

“The logic of littleness is the Church’s true strength,” he said during a prayer service. “I therefore encourage you to cultivate a spiritual attitude of confident hope, rooted in faith and in union with God.”

Read the full story from EWTN News’ Elias Turk, on the ground in Turkey.

Upon completing his visit to Turkey, Pope Leo XIV will travel to Lebanon, where he will meet with members of the Maronite Church.

Speaking to EWTN News Nightly, Bishop Gregory Mansour, Eparch of the Maronite Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, reflects on how Maronite Catholics may view this visit.