Turkish president, Pope Leo to hold news conference in Ankara

​​​​​​​By Mumin Altas

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pope Leo are set to hold a news conference Thursday at Cihannuma Hall in Türkiye’s Presidential National Library in Ankara, the world’s third-largest library.

Leo, making his first foreign visit since ascending to the head of the Catholic Church, will be in Ankara, Istanbul and Iznik from Nov. 27-30.

He will first pay respects at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara, before being officially welcomed at the Presidential Complex.

Erdogan and the Pope are expected to discuss Türkiye-Vatican relations in a private meeting, as well as current regional and global issues, including developments in Palestine.

Leo XIV will meet Christian clerics on Friday at Saint Esprit Cathedral, visit the French Poorhouse Nursing Home and travel by helicopter to Iznik for a service.

On Saturday, he will visit Sultanahmet Mosque, the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church, meet with Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos and lead a service at Volkswagen Arena.

The visit will conclude with a service at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and a return visit to the Fener Greek Patriarchate to mark the Patriarchate’s founding anniversary.​​​​​​​