Program announced for Pope’s trip to Turkey

October 21, 2014

The Holy See Press Office has formally announced that Pope Francis will make an apostolic journey to Turkey from November 28 to 30.

On November 28, Pope Francis will arrive in Ankara, the nation’s capital, and visit the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), the nation’s first president following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Atatürk’s secularizing rule saw the abolition of the caliphate and the transformation of Hagia Sophia from a mosque to a museum. The Pontiff will also meet with leading government officials and deliver an address.

The following day, he will fly to Istanbul, the nation’s largest city, and visit Hagia Sophia—the church of the Patriarch of Constantinople from its dedication in the sixth century until the collapse of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. Pope Francis will also visit the city’s Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), celebrate Mass at the city’s Catholic cathedral, and meet and pray with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who holds a primacy of honor in Eastern Orthodoxy.

On November 30, the Feast of St. Andrew, the city’s patron, Pope Francis will offer Mass privately at the apostolic delegation before attending the divine liturgy celebrated by the Ecumenical Patriarch. A joint declaration will be issued and the two will dine together before the Pope returns to Rome in the evening.

 

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Further information:

• Viaggio Apostolico di Sua Santità Francesco in Turchia (28-30 novembre 2014) – Programma (Holy See Press Office)
• Dichiarazione del Direttore della Sala Stampa, P. Federico Lombardi, S.I. (Holy See Press Office)