TURKEY: A papal visit in Erdogan’s country: Faith, diplomacy, and the politics of symbolism
By Hans Noot, Associate director of Human Rights Without Frontiers
HRWF (28.11.2025) — Pope Leo XIV is in Türkiye to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The visit will include stops in İznik (ancient Nicaea) and Istanbul, where the Pope will meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.
While officially presented as an ecumenical and commemorative journey, the trip inevitably unfolds within the political and social realities of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Türkiye — a country where religious heritage, national identity, and state control remain tightly interwoven.
A visit steeped in History and politics
Nicaea, where early Christian bishops gathered in 325 AD, occupies a central place in Christian memory. Yet the setting for this anniversary could hardly be more complex.
Under President Erdoğan’s two-decade rule, Türkiye has witnessed a reassertion of Islamic identity in the public sphere, from the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque in 2020 to a more assertive tone in foreign and cultural policy.
For the Vatican, the visit is both a gesture of historical continuity and an act of diplomatic sensitivity — reaffirming Christianity’s roots in Anatolia while carefully navigating the political symbolism that surrounds any Christian ceremony on Turkish soil.
“Every papal step in Türkiye is interpreted through a political lens,” notes one Vatican diplomat. “But dialogue cannot wait for perfect conditions — it must proceed in the midst of them.”
Constantinople or Istanbul? A name that still divides
Even the city’s name reflects centuries of shifting power and identity. For the Orthodox world, “Constantinople” evokes the seat of the ancient Christian empire and the enduring spiritual authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. For modern Turkish nationalism, however, “Istanbul” represents independence from that imperial past — a city re-claimed, re-named, and re-imagined as the heart of the Republic.
This tension continues to surface in diplomacy, media, and inter-faith dialogue. The Vatican and most international institutions use Istanbul in official documents, while Orthodox circles and church historians often retain Constantinople when referring to the Patriarchate. The Pope’s visit, therefore, will unfold in a space where even a city’s name can carry theological and political resonance — a reminder that in Türkiye, language itself is part of the negotiation between faith and power.
Religious freedom and minority rights in the spotlight
Behind the ceremony lies a quieter but enduring concern: the status of Christian and other religious minorities.
Communities such as the Greek Orthodox, Armenians, and Syriac Christians continue to face bureaucratic obstacles in property registration, clergy training, and recognition of legal personality.
In this context, the Pope’s meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew I will not only be ecumenical but also implicitly political — signaling support for religious communities that remain largely dependent on state goodwill.
“When global leaders visit Türkiye, they must speak with care,” says Hans Noot, Associate Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers. “But even symbolic gestures can remind both governments and societies that freedom of belief is not a privilege, it’s a right.”
An unspoken dialogue
Erdoğan’s government has often used religious diplomacy to project a moderate Islamic image abroad while consolidating control at home.
Observers suggest that hosting the Pope serves multiple objectives: international prestige, soft-power validation, and a message of inter-faith tolerance — even as civic space remains restricted for many journalists, activists, and minority groups.
For the Vatican, however, the calculus differs. Pope Leo XIV’s decision to honour the Council of Nicaea in İznik reflects a return to the sources of Christian unity, but it also offers a platform to advocate moral and spiritual freedoms in a region where such freedoms are fragile.
Possible outcomes: Between symbolism and subtle change
The visit’s religious impact may lie more in tone than in treaty. A joint declaration or prayer between the Pope and Patriarch Bartholomew I could mark a fresh stage in Catholic–Orthodox rapprochement, reviving dialogue that has slowed in recent years. It may also inspire renewed cooperation on humanitarian and environmental initiatives — areas where both Churches increasingly speak with one voice.
Politically, the visit will allow Ankara to showcase an image of religious tolerance and global engagement, potentially improving Türkiye’s standing with Western partners at a time of strained EU relations. Yet any deep reform on freedom of religion, expression, or association remains unlikely in the short term. Analysts expect measured statements from both sides, avoiding direct criticism while subtly underscoring the need for openness and mutual respect.
The most realistic outcome, then, is symbolic but not insignificant: a reaffirmation that dialogue between faiths — and between faith and state — remains possible, even amid tension.
In Erdoğan’s Türkiye, such symbols carry political weight. And in the long arc of church history, they may prove to be the seeds of future reconciliation.
Photo: Haghia Sophia in Istanbul – Photo: AI generated
