42+ min ago (942+ words) Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I sign a joint declaration at the Ecumenical Patriarchate, during Pope's first apostolic journey, in Istanbul, Turkey, November 29, 2025. (Dilara Senkaya/Pool Via AP) Leo had two key appointments in Istanbul before flying to Beirut: a prayer at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and a divine liturgy with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, whose invitation to commemorate an important Christian anniversary was the impetus for Leo's visit. On the second leg of his maiden papal trip, Leo was visiting Lebanon at a precarious moment for the small Mediterranean country after years of successive crises. He is fulfilling a promise of Pope Francis, who had wanted to visit for years but was unable to as his health worsened. Francis often quoted St. John Paul II, who in 1989 said Lebanon was more…...

10+ hour, 45+ min ago (85+ words) Pope Leo XIV prayed with the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew, at the patriarchal church of Saint George in Istanbul Saturday, as part of his first trip abroad to Turkey. Pope Leo XIV prayed with the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew, at the patriarchal church of Saint George in Istanbul Saturday, as part of his first trip abroad to Turkey. Pope Leo XIV prays with Patriarch of Eastern Church Bartholomew I during trip to Turkey...

10+ hour, 45+ min ago (63+ words) Painter Valerena Yashou presented Pope Leo XIV with a portrait of him as he departed the patriarchal church of Saint George on Saturday. Painter Valerena Yashou presented Pope Leo XIV with a portrait of him as he departed the patriarchal church of Saint George on Saturday. Pope Leo XIV receives a painting as he leaves the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Istanbul...

18+ hour, 37+ min ago (117+ words) Pope Leo XIV started the second day of his trip to Turkey with a visit to Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday. Leo was following in the footsteps of his recent predecessors, who all made high-profile visits to the mosque in a gesture of respect to Turkey's Muslim majority. Pope Leo XIV started the second day of his trip to Turkey with a visit to Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday. Leo was following in the footsteps of his recent predecessors, who all made high-profile visits to the mosque in a gesture of respect to Turkey's Muslim majority. Behind the scenes as AP covers Pope Leo's visit to Istanbul's Blue Mosque...

21+ hour, 49+ min ago (421+ words) The head of Turkey's Diyanet religious affairs directorate showed Leo the soaring tiled dome of the mosque and the Arabic inscriptions on its columns, as Leo nodded in understanding. The Vatican had said Leo would observe a "brief minute of silent prayer" there, but it wasn't clear if he had. Leo was following in the footsteps of his recent predecessors, who all made high-profile visits to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, as it is officially known, in a gesture of respect to Turkey's Muslim majority. Leo removed his shoes and walked through the carpeted mosque in his white socks. Past popes have also visited the nearby Hagia Sophia landmark, once one of the most important historic cathedrals in Christianity and a United Nations-designated world heritage site. But Leo left that visit off his itinerary on his first trip as pope. In…...

21+ hour, 54+ min ago (40+ words) Pope Leo XIV was seen arriving at the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in central Istanbul on Saturday morning during his visit to Turkey. (AP Video/Nick Dumitrache) ... Pope Leo visits Sultan Ahmed Mosque in central Istanbul during his visit to Turkey...

21+ hour, 58+ min ago (398+ words) Pope Leo XIV joined the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I by a lake an few hours from Istanbul on Friday afternoon in a ceremony to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea. Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday at the start of an intense day of meetings and liturgies with Turkey's religious leaders. Leo joined Eastern and Western patriarchs and priests Friday in commemorating an important anniversary in Christian history, gathering at the site in Turkey of an unprecedented A.D. 325 meeting of bishops to pray that Christians might once again be united. Leo, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian leaders met on the shores of Lake Iznik, the site of the Council of Nicaea that produced a creed, or statement of faith, that is still recited by millions of Christians today. Standing over the ruins of the…...

1+ day, 12+ hour ago (83+ words) Pope Leo XIV joined the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I by a lake an few hours from Istanbul on Friday afternoon in a ceremony to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea. Pope Leo XIV joined the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I by a lake an few hours from Istanbul on Friday afternoon in a ceremony to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea. Pope Leo XIV joined Christian leaders in Turkey to mark 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea...

1+ day, 18+ hour ago (1817+ words) Today's live updates have ended. See what you missed below, and find more of our reporting on the pope's trip at apnews.com. Pope Leo XIV traveled to join Orthodox patriarchs in commemorating an important moment in Christian history, gathering at the site in Turkey of an unprecedented A.D. 325 meeting of bishops to pray that Christians might once again be reunited. Leo, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian leaders were meeting on the shores of Lake Iznik, the site of the Council of Nicaea that produced a creed, or statement of faith, that is still recited by millions of Christians today. The prayer service to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea has ended, and Pope Leo XIV is heading back to Istanbul. The brief service took place in Iznik, at the site of the A.D. 325 gathering of bishops that…...

1+ day, 21+ hour ago (210+ words) Shouts of "Papa Leo" and "Viva il Papa" (Long Live the pope) erupted along with cheering and clapping inside and outside Istanbul's Cathedral of the Holy Spirit as Leo arrived to begin the first full day of his first trip as pope. Leo was meeting with Turkey's Catholic clergy and nuns before taking part in the key reason for his visit. He will commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of one of the most important moments in Christianity: the 325 AD gathering of bishops that produced the Nicaean Creed, a statement of faith that millions still recite today. Catholic, Orthodox and most historic Protestant groups accept the Nicaean Creed. Despite later schisms over doctrine and other factors, Nicaea remains a point of agreement and the most widely accepted creed in Christendom. As a result, celebrating its foundations is an important marker in the centuries-old…...