New York, NY – His Holiness Pope Francis will make a pilgrimage to Turkey at the invitation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to celebrate the Feast Day of St. Andrew the Apostle for Vespers and Divine Liturgy on November 29 and 30, 2014 at the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Below are some of the major news stories breaking about the upcoming visit:
The Huffington Post
Why would Vice President Joe Biden, during his crucial, ISIS focused, trip to Turkey, meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew? Part of the answer lies in Vice President Biden describing Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as “one of the two most Christ-like people I have ever met.” World-renowned journalist Charlie Rose said of Bartholomew, “There is no interview that I would place higher than the conversation I had with The Ecumenical Patriarch.” …
Visit of Pope Francis to Ecumenical Patriarchate will be broadcast LIVE on EWTN, Nov. 29 and 30
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
The visit of Pope Francis to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople and his meetings with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on November 29 and 30, 2014, will be broadcast live in the United States by EWTN, Global Catholic Network …
Pope Francis tells Turkish Authorities Religious Freedom Key Factor for Peace
Eurasia Review
Pope Francis spoke to Turkish authorities on Friday of the need to create a lasting peace – one based on a fraternal solidarity which respects human dignity and man’s essential right to religious freedom …
Islam, ecumenism and regional conflict on pope’s agenda in Turkey
National Catholic Reporter
Almost every papal trip abroad is a complex mix of the religious and political, and that will be especially true of Pope Francis’ Nov. 28-30 visit to Turkey.
Given the country’s crucial geographic position straddling Europe and Asia, its historic importance for both Christianity and Islam and the wars now raging in neighboring Syria and Iraq, Francis will have to address a variety of urgent topics during his three-day visit. Here are five of the biggest issues that await him …
Archbishop of Constantinople keeps Byzantium alive in Turkey
Yahoo! News
Down a narrow side street, in a district of Istanbul on the Golden Horn well off the beaten tourist track, sit the relatively modest headquarters of the “first among equals” of the world’s estimated 300 million Orthodox Christian believers …
Experts hope Francis raises religious freedom in Turkey
Crux
As Pope Francis gears up for a three-day visit to Turkey at the end of the week, many in this Middle Eastern country suggest that the elephant in the room — religious freedom — should be at the top of his agenda.
Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, traveled to Turkey eight years ago for a visit overshadowed by a controversy generated by a lecture at a university in Regensburg, Germany, linking Muhammad with violence …
PBS
At the Greek Orthodox Church of the Archangels in Istanbul, Sunday morning worship unfolds as it has for centuries. Christians here say the ancient liturgy and the images that fill the sanctuary help connect them to the roots of their faith. Several books of the New Testament were written in what is now Turkey, and many foundational Christian doctrines were established here …
Pope’s visit to Turkey is a chance to bridge ancient divide
Al-Monitor
As Ankara prepares to receive Pope Francis on Nov. 28-30, Turkish media have noted with raised eyebrows that Turkish affairs do not appear to be uppermost on the pope’s mind. “It was conspicuous that the pope chose to speak of the ‘Ecumenical Patriarchate’ and ‘Constantinople’ rather than of Turkey,” when referring to the destination of his upcoming visit, the daily Milliyet pointed out huffily. It is a Turkish delusion of grandeur to believe that the spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics around the world should see, one and a half years into his papacy and before visiting most of those countries that have predominantly Catholic populations, a pressing need for talks in Ankara. His visit to the Turkish capital is little more than an obligatory courtesy call on the host country of his real destination, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople …
A new path for unity – Pope and Patriarch to face world challenges together
Catholic News Agency
A common declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew on the issues of ecology and poverty would be natural is foreseeable for the future, a theological advisor of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Costantinople told CNA Nov. 28 …
Pope Francis Visit: Turkey’s Christians Face Tense Times
Assyrian International News Agency
It tells of a city where empires, cultures and religions collided. A building that bears mosaics of Jesus and the Virgin Mary beside calligraphy reading “Allah” and “the Prophet Mohamed”. There is no greater symbol of the clash of civilisations here than Hagia Sophia. …
Statement of Ecumenical Patriarchate ahead of Papal Visit
Vatican Radio
Ahead of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Voyage, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has issued the following statement: His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of over 300 million Orthodox faithful worldwide, will receive Pope Francis on November 29-30, 2014, at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. …
