Matteo Bruni:

Good afternoon, everyone.  Welcome.  We have finished this first part of the journey, and we thank the Holy Father for his presence among us and giving us the opportunity to accompany him for this first part of the journey.

I don’t know if you would like to say a few words… Then there are some journalists who have prepared [some questions].

Pope Leo XIV:

Good afternoon, buon pomeriggio a tutti.  I’ll speak in English to start, I think most of you understand.  I’m happy to greet you.  I hope you all had as good a time in Türkiye as I did.  I think it was a wonderful experience.  As you know, the primary reason for coming to Türkiye was the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.  We had that magnificent celebration — very simple and yet very profound — on the site of one of the ancient Basilicas of Nicaea to commemorate the great event of the agreement of the whole Christian community and the profession of faith, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

Besides that, of course, there were many other events that we celebrated.  I personally want to express to all of you my gratitude for all the work that went into planning the visit: beginning with the Nuncio, the staff, the whole team from Rome, of course, that did all the organization; but in a very special way the government of Türkiye, President Erdoğan and so many people that he put at our disposition in order to make sure that the trip would be a total success, his personal helicopter, many means of transportation, organization, etc., and the presence of the ministers in various moments along the visit.  So it was I think a great success.

I was very happy to have the different moments we had with the different Churches, with the different Christian communities, with the Orthodox Churches, culminating this morning with the Divine Liturgy with Patriarch Bartholomew.  It was a wonderful celebration and I hope that all of you shared that same experience. Thank you.  I don’t know if there any questions or comments, just a couple because they are waiting for me for more photos.

Matteo Bruni:

The first question is from Baris Seçkin, a Turkish journalist from the Anadolu Ajansi press agency.

Baris Seçkin (Anadolu Ajansi):

Thank you very much.  At the beginning of your Papal Trip you made reference to world and regional peace.  In this regard, what is your comment on Türkiye’s role in achieving and maintaining world and regional peace, and what were your discussions with President Erdoğan on this matter?  Thank you.

Pope Leo XIV:

To have come to Türkiye, and of course now to Lebanon, on this trip there was, of course, a special theme of, if you will, being a messenger of peace, of wanting to promote peace throughout the region.  Türkiye has a number of, if you will, qualities about it.  It is a country where the vast majority is Muslim, yet there is a presence of numerous Christian communities there, although a very small minority, and yet people of different religions are able to live in peace.  And that is one example I would say of what I think we all would be looking for throughout the world.

That is to say, that in spite of religious differences, in spite of ethnic differences, in spite of many other differences people can indeed live in peace.  Türkiye itself has had, of course, in its history various moments when this was not always the case.  To have been able to speak also with President Erdoğan about peace I think was an important element, a worthwhile element of my visit.

Matteo Bruni:

Thank you, Baris.  Thank you, Your Holiness.  The other question is from Seyda Canepa, from the Turkish television.

Seyda Canepa:

Your Holiness, aside from the official declarations, did you speak with President Erdoğan about the situation in Gaza, given that the Vatican and Türkiye share the same vision for a two-State solution?  And then, regarding Ukraine, on more than one occasion the Vatican has emphasized Türkiye’s role, starting with the opening of the grain corridor at the beginning of the conflict.  So, do you see hope for a truce in Ukraine and a faster peace process in Gaza at this time?  Many thanks.

Pope Leo XIV:

Thank you!  Certainly, we spoke about both situations.  For several years now, the Holy See has publicly supported the proposal of a two-State solution.  We all know that at present, Israel still does not accept this solution, but we see it as the only solution that could offer — let us say — an answer to the conflict they continually experience.  We are also friends with Israel, and we are trying to act as a mediating voice for both parties, to help find a just solution for everyone.  We discussed this with President Erdoğan, who certainly agrees with this proposal.  Türkiye has an important role to play in this.

The same goes for Ukraine.  A few months ago, the President was very helpful in bringing the two parties together for the possibility of dialogue between Ukraine and Russia.  Unfortunately, we have not yet seen a solution, but today there are once again concrete proposals for peace. And let us hope that President Erdoğan, with his relationship with the presidents of Ukraine, Russia and the United States, will be able to help in this regard to promote dialogue and a ceasefire, and find a way to resolve this conflict, this war in Ukraine.  Thank you.

I greet you all.  Have a good journey!  [Matteo Bruni] has suggested that I say something regarding the important ecumenical meeting in Nicaea.  Yesterday morning we spoke about possible meetings in the future.  One would be in the year 2033, two thousand years after Redemption, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is obviously an event that all Christians would like to celebrate.  The idea was well received.  We have not yet made the invitation but there is a possibility of celebrating this great event of the Resurrection, for example in Jerusalem in 2033.  We still have a few years to prepare for it.  However, it was a very beautiful meeting, because Christians of different traditions were present and were able to participate in this moment.

Thank you! Thank you all.