Dear Brother Archons and Friends of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

The Turkish travel news outlet FTN News published an article on Friday that is a masterpiece of religious insensitivity and cultural appropriation. It states proudly that “Turkey…may host Pope Leo XIV’s first official visit,” and even bears, as the sole image accompanying the story, a large photo of the famed Hagia Sophia Pantocrator icon. The article thus simultaneously tries to give the impression that His Holiness Leo XIV, the new Pope of Rome, is planning to make his first official visit one to the country of Turkey as such, and that the renowned Pantocrator, and all of Hagia Sophia, is part of the historical and cultural heritage of that country.

In reality, the focus of Pope Leo XIV’s prospective visit to Turkey would not be to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials. The fact is that Pope Leo XIV may make his first official visit at the invitation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christian Church.

The FTN News article notes correctly that the immediate occasion for the Pontiff’s prospective visit would be to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council, the Council of Nicaea. With surpassing insensitivity, however, FTN News states that “commemorating this moment 1,700 years later is not only spiritually symbolic but also diplomatically significant. It reinforces Türkiye’s historical role as a bridge between civilizations and faiths, particularly in the realm of early Christianity.” The article even speaks of “the country’s foundational role in early Christianity.”

Turkey played no “historical role” in the Council of Nicaea, and had no “foundational role in early Christianity.” Turkey is the country that currently occupies the territory upon which the sacred Council took place, but at the time of the Nicene Council, Nicaea would not be Turkish territory for another thousand years. None of the seven Ecumenical Councils, held within the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, actually took place in the country of Turkey, which at the time that those Councils were held did not yet exist.

Also, the assertion that commemorating the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea “reinforces Türkiye’s historical role as a bridge between civilizations and faiths, particularly in the realm of early Christianity” is bitterly ironic. In its 2025 Annual Report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) once again included Turkey among its Special Watch List countries, that is, countries that USCIRF recommends that the State Department place on its Special Watch List for “severe violations of religious freedom.”

In light of that recommendation, FTN News’ speculation that a papal visit “could enhance Türkiye’s global profile as a spiritual tourism destination while fostering interfaith dialogue” rings particularly hollow. Should tourists visit Hagia Sophia and the Chora Church, which for decades were museums established by Kemal Ataturk dedicated to religious tolerance and pluralism, but which have now been converted to mosques, and their celebrated icons covered? Should tourists visit the Theological School of Halki, the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s institution for training native clergy, which has been forcibly closed by the Turkish government since 1971? Should tourists visit the innumerable Christian heritage sites around Turkey that have been appropriated and are now used as mosques or cultural centers, or left to crumble into decay?

If Pope Leo XIV does indeed travel to Turkey for his first official trip, it will be to meet in joint prayer and celebration with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who had planned to welcome Pope Francis in Nicaea for commemorations of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. When Pope Francis passed away, His All-Holiness expressed the hope that the papal visit would still take place: “I believe that his successor will come, and we will go together to Nicaea to send a message of unity, love, brotherhood, and shared path toward the future of Christianity.”

The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate join His All-Holiness in that prayer and hope.

Yours in the service of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,