3+ hour, 49+ min ago (902+ words) 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 than just a country, it was a "message" " a message of fraternity and coexistence. Under Lebanon's power-sharing system, the country's president is always a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a…...

1+ day, 29+ min ago (955+ words) Leo took his shoes off and, in his white socks, toured the 17th-century mosque, looking up at its soaring tiled domes and the Arabic inscriptions on its columns as an imam pointed them out to him. The Vatican had said Leo would observe a "brief moment of silent prayer" in the mosque, but he didn't. An imam of the mosque, Asgin Tunca, said he had invited Leo to pray, since the mosque was "Allah's house," but the pope declined. Later, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said: "The pope experienced his visit to the mosque in silence, in a spirit of contemplation and listening, with deep respect for the place and the faith of those who gather there in prayer." The Vatican then sent out a corrected version of its bulletin about the trip, removing reference to the planned "brief moment of…...

1+ day, 29+ min ago (819+ words) Leo took his shoes off and, in his white sock,s toured the the 17th-century mosque, looking up at its soaring tiled domes and the Arabic inscriptions on its columns as an imam pointed them out to him. The Vatican had said Leo would observe a "brief moment of silent prayer" in the mosque, but he didn't. An imam of the mosque, Asgin Tunca, said he had invited Leo to pray, since the mosque was "Allah's house," but the pope declined. Speaking to reporters after the visit, Tunca said he had told the pope: "It's not my house, not your house, (it's the) house of Allah," he said. He said he told Leo: "'If you want, you can worship here,' I said. But he said, "That's OK." "He wanted to see the mosque, wanted to feel (the) atmosphere of the…...

1+ day, 29+ min ago (510+ 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. The imam of the mosque, Asgin Tunca, said he had invited Leo to pray but the pope declined. Speaking to reporters after the visit, Tunca said he had told the pope that the mosque was "Allah's house." "It's not my house, not your house, (it's the) house of Allah," he said. He said he told Leo: "If you want, you can worship here,' I said. But he said, "That's OK." "He wanted to see the mosque, wanted to feel (the) atmosphere of the mosque, I think. And was very pleased,…...

2+ day, 49+ min ago (209+ 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…...

2+ day, 49+ min ago (802+ words) 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. Leo flew by helicopter to Iznik from Istanbul to take part in an ecumenical prayer to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicaea meeting, the highlight of his visit to Turkey. He arrived just after the Muslim call to prayer rang out from a nearby mosque. The Nicaea gathering happened at a time when the Eastern and Western churches were still united. They split in the Great Schism of 1054, a divide precipitated largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope. But even today, Catholic, Orthodox and most historic Protestant groups accept the Nicaean Creed, making it a point of agreement…...

2+ day, 50+ min ago (818+ words) Pope Leo XIV marks a high point of his his first foreign trip to Turkey with a pilgrimage to the site where early Christian church leaders met 1,700 years ago under the auspices of the Roman Emperor Constantine to host the Council of Nicaea. Leo will pray with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, at the site of the 325 AD gathering, now the town of Iznik, and sign a joint declaration in a show of Christian unity. The unprecedented gathering of at least 250 bishops from around the Roman Empire during the first council established the first version of the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that millions of Christians still recite each Sunday. Eastern and Western churches were united until the Great Schism of 1054, a divide precipitated largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope. The…...

2+ day, 50+ min ago (1798+ words) Pope Leo XIV marked a high point of his his first foreign trip to Turkey with a pilgrimage to the site where early Christian church leaders met 1,700 years ago under the auspices of the Roman Emperor Constantine to host the Council of Nicaea. Leo prayed with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, at the site of the A.D. 325 gathering, now the town of Iznik, and sign a joint declaration in a show of Christian unity. The unprecedented gathering of at least 250 bishops from around the Roman Empire during the first council established the first version of the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that millions of Christians still recite each Sunday. Eastern and Western churches were united until the Great Schism of 1054, a divide precipitated largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope. The American pope…...

3+ day, 2+ hour ago (772+ words) Leo's charter plane landed at Ankara's international airport. Later, he had a meeting planned with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a speech to the country's diplomatic corps. He'll then move late Thursday on to Istanbul for three days of ecumenical and interfaith meetings that will be followed by the Lebanese leg of his trip. Leo's visit comes as Turkey, a country of more than 85 million people of predominantly Sunni Muslims, has cast itself as a key intermediary in peace negotiations for the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Ankara has hosted rounds of low-level talks between Russia and Ukraine and has offered to take part in the stabilization force in Gaza to help uphold the fragile ceasefire, engagements Leo may applaud in his arrival speech. Turkey's growing military weight, as NATO's largest army after the U.S., has been drawing Western leaders closer…...

3+ day, 2+ hour ago (932+ words) Leo was welcomed on the tarmac of Ankara's Esenboga Airport by a military guard of honor. Strolling along a turquoise carpet, he shook hands with Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, other officials and senior church figures from Turkey. Later, he had a meeting planned with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a speech to the country's diplomatic corps. He'll then move late Thursday on to Istanbul for three days of ecumenical and interfaith meetings that will be followed by the Lebanese leg of his trip. Speaking to reporters on board his plane, Leo acknowledged the historic nature of his first foreign trip and said he has been looking forward to it because of what it means for Christians and for peace in the world. Leo said he knows the visit to commemorate a key ecumenical anniversary was important for…...