ANKARA / ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday welcomed Pope Leo XIV for a historic visit at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara.

The visit marks the first official trip abroad for Leo since assuming the papacy this June, making him the spiritual leader of millions of Catholics worldwide and head of state of the Vatican. During the visit, Leo is set to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (present-day Iznik), a landmark in the history of early Christianity.

After the official welcoming, Erdogan and the pope held a one-on-one meeting for about a half-hour at the Presidential Complex during which they discussed Turkish-Vatican relations as well as current regional and global developments, with a particular focus on the situation in embattled Palestine.

The meeting was also set to discuss Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine, efforts for peace in the Middle East, and broader international issues.

After the one-on-one meeting, they also chaired an inter-delegation meeting between the two countries.

The Turkish president was accompanied by Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and other top officials.

Following their bilateral talks, Erdogan and Pope Leo will hold a press conference in the Presidential Nation’s Library.

Earlier, the pontiff paid respects at Anitkabir, the Ankara mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye.