1+ hour, 15+ min ago (916+ words) Pope Leo XIV's first trip to T'rkiye ended on Sunday after four days. The pontiff, who received warm welcome by T'rkiye's Christian community, was set to depart for Lebanon with a message of peace for the crisis-mired nation. On the last day of his visit, his first trip overseas since being elected leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, Leo participated in several Sunday services in another demonstration of his desire for greater unity among different branches of the Church. At the Armenian Cathedral, Leo said had words of encouragement for the largest of T'rkiye's Christian communities that counts some 50,000 members, thanking God "for the courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history, often amid tragic circumstances." It was an apparent nod to mass deaths of Armenians during the Ottoman rule between 1915 and 1916. T'rkiye rejects the term of genocide for…...

5+ hour, 11+ min ago (793+ words) Continuing from my latest article, I would now like to address another point: the relationship between piety and expectation. More specifically, I want to examine whether expecting... Piety and expectation: Does asking God conflict with sincerity? Expectation can turn worship into trade; true piety seeks God beyond reward or gain Continuing from my latest article, I would now like to address another point: the relationship between piety and expectation. More specifically, I want to examine whether expecting something from God can be understood as an expectation that turns worship into commerce, as Socrates suggests. Socrates" critique of traditional Athenian religiosity, which served as the starting point for this series of articles, ultimately leads us to this question. To recall, he characterizes the religious attitude of those who perform sacrifices and then demand something in return from the gods as a…...

1+ day, 23+ hour ago (836+ words) Pope Leo XIV on Friday joined Orthodox patriarchs and other Christian leaders in commemorating an important moment in Christian history, gathering at the site in T'rkiye of an unprecedented A.D. 325 meeting of bishops to pray that Christians might once again be reunited. Speaking at the landmark event with Christian leaders from across the Middle East, Leo condemned violence in the name of religion, urging them to overcome centuries of heated divisions. At a celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of a major Church council with senior clerics from countries including T'rkiye, Egypt, Syria and Israel, he called it a scandal that the world's 2.6 billion Christians were not more united. "Today, the whole of humanity, afflicted by violence and conflict, is crying out for reconciliation," Leo said at a ceremony in the Turkish town of Iznik, once known as Nicaea, where early churchmen created…...

1+ day, 23+ hour ago (470+ words) Pope Leo XIV arrived in T'rkiye on Thursday for his first overseas journey after becoming head of the Catholic Church in May. The historic three-day visit aimed at strengthening interfaith dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation marks a significant moment in T'rkiye-Vatican relations. The two-staged trip, centered on the district of Iznik (ancient Nicaea) and Istanbul, emerges not only as a symbolic pilgrimage but also diplomatic move to deliver peace messages to the world from T'rkiye. Welcomed by high-ranking Turkish officials, Pope Leo and President Recep Tayyip Erdo'an held a meeting in Ankara on Thursday at the Presidential Complex. The two leaders discussed T'rkiye-Vatican relations as well as current regional and global issues, particularly focusing on the genocide in Gaza and efforts to ensure stability in the Middle East. "Izmit holds a 'privileged' position for Vatican-papal visits. The three-day visit to…...

2+ day, 1+ hour ago (99+ words) Pope Leo visits Iznik for 1,700th anniversary of 1st Council of Nicaea Pope Leo XIV, head of the Vatican, visited Iznik in the northwestern Turkish province of Bursa as part of his official tour of T'rkiye. Some locals visiting the area of the submerged basilica, believed to have been built in honor of Saint Neophytos, welcomed the pope with a banner reading, "Welcome Leo XIV." Pope Leo XIV attended the 1,700th anniversary ceremony of the First Council of Nicaea, held at the site of the submerged basilica believed to have been built in honor of Saint Neophytos....

2+ day, 1+ hour ago (738+ words) The decision of the new pope " remarkable already as the first American pontiff " to make his inaugural international visit to T'rkiye and Lebanon in November 2025 is a choice lade... Subtle signals: Pope Leo XIV's choice of T'rkiye and Lebanon By choosing T'rkiye and Lebanon for his first trip, the new American pope sends a striking message of moral pushback in the Middle East and a call for deeper interfaith engagement The decision of the new pope " remarkable already as the first American pontiff " to make his inaugural international visit to T'rkiye and Lebanon in November 2025 is a choice laden with symbolism. From the outset, he has signaled a personal style distinct from his predecessors: speaking publicly in English, when the occasion arises, rather than Italian, addressing global audiences with clarity and accessibility, and projecting a leader who aims to speak…...

2+ day, 3+ hour ago (619+ words) Pope Leo XIV will join the spiritual head of the world's Orthodox Christians on Friday to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of one of the early Church's key councils, as he continues the second day of his visit to T'rkiye. The American pope began his four-day visit on Thursday in Ankara, where he urged President Recep Tayyip Erdo'an to embrace T'rkiye's role as a source of "stability and rapprochement between peoples" in a world gripped by conflict. "This land is inextricably linked to the origins of Christianity, and today it beckons the children of Abraham and all humanity to a fraternity that recognizes and appreciates differences," he said, before flying to Istanbul, where he will stay until Sunday, when he travels on to Lebanon. The 70-year-old pontiff spent Friday morning with Catholic leaders before going to Iznik to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of…...

2+ day, 3+ hour ago (619+ words) Pope Leo XIV will join the spiritual head of the world's Orthodox Christians on Friday to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of one of the early Church's key councils, as he continues the second day of his visit to T'rkiye. The American pope began his four-day visit on Thursday in Ankara, where he urged President Recep Tayyip Erdo'an to embrace T'rkiye's role as a source of "stability and rapprochement between peoples" in a world gripped by conflict. "This land is inextricably linked to the origins of Christianity, and today it beckons the children of Abraham and all humanity to a fraternity that recognizes and appreciates differences," he said, before flying to Istanbul, where he will stay until Sunday, when he travels on to Lebanon. The 70-year-old pontiff spent Friday morning with Catholic leaders before going to Iznik to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of…...

2+ day, 4+ hour ago (340+ words) Pope Leo XIV began his first full day in T'rkiye on Friday by greeting the country's small Catholic community, receiving loud applause and chants as he set out on a day aimed at strengthening Christians worldwide and pursuing their centuries-old quest for unity. 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 T'rkiye'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 A.D. gathering of bishops that produced the Nicaean Creed, a statement of faith that millions still recite today. Catholic, Orthodox and most…...

3+ day, 2+ hour ago (276+ words) The inaugural visit of Pope Leo XIV to T'rkiye began on Thursday as the pontiff arrived in the capital, Ankara. He was welcomed by high-ranking Turkish officials, including Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, and is scheduled to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdo'an. Prior to the meeting, he visited An'tkabir, the mausoleum of the Republic of T'rkiye's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atat'rk. On Friday, the pope will meet with Christian clerics at St. Esprit Cathedral in Istanbul, visit the French Poorhouse Nursing Home and travel by helicopter to Iznik for a religious service. Saturday will see the pope visiting Sultanahmet Mosque and the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church, where he will meet with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew. The day will conclude with a service at Volkswagen Arena. The visit will wrap up with a final service at the Armenian Apostolic…...