Pope Leo Reaches Türkiye on His First Apostolic Journey

Türkiye, November 27, 2025: Pope Leo departed from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport at 7:58 a.m. on Thursday, beginning his first Apostolic Journey, which takes him to Türkiye and Lebanon as a sign of unity and peace. After an early morning flight aboard an ITA Airways Airbus A320neo, he landed safely in Türkiye to commence his pastoral visit.

The papal plane featured the image of Our Mother of Good Counsel on its partitions, a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary deeply treasured by the Augustinians. Devotion to Our Lady under this title is rooted in the hill-town church of Genazzano, Italy, where the Augustinians have served since the 13th century.

Just two days after his election as the Successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV had visited the shrine in Genazzano and prayed before the ancient image of Our Mother of Good Counsel, originally from Shkodër, Albania. That same image accompanied him on this significant journey.

First Day in Türkiye

Upon landing in Ankara, Pope Leo XIV began the first leg of his Apostolic Journey to Türkiye and Lebanon. His opening stop will be at the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the father of the Republic of Türkiye.

He will then proceed to the Presidential Palace to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and deliver an address to the civil authorities and diplomatic corps, highlighting themes of peace, dialogue, and cooperation.

Later, the Pope will reboard the papal plane and travel to Istanbul, where he will reside at the Apostolic Nunciature for the remainder of his stay in Türkiye.

As he greeted the pilots and crew upon arrival, Pope Leo XIV set the tone for a journey aimed at strengthening ties, promoting unity, and fostering mutual understanding.

On Saturday, he will celebrate Mass in Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena before travelling on Sunday to Lebanon. There, he will meet with groups including the local authorities, Church leaders, representatives of other religions, and young people.

On Tuesday, he will celebrate public Mass at the Beirut Waterfront before heading back to Rome, where he is scheduled to arrive at about 4:00 PM.

Courtesy Vatican News

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