On board the papal plane — Pope Leo
Leo made these statements while heading from Istanbul to Beirut on the second and final leg of his first trip as Pope. Although Liu has been answering reporters’ questions at informal gatherings at his country home, the brief encounter marked his first news conference as pope, and followed his predecessors’ tradition of using his travels to reach out to the media. But it was limited to two questions from Turkish journalists.
Someone asked the American Pope about his private conversations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan upon his arrival in Ankara and whether they discussed the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Liu confirmed this, and said Türkiye has an “important role to play” in both conflicts, noting that Erdogan’s government has already helped facilitate low-level negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war.
“Unfortunately, we still have not seen a solution. But today there are new and concrete proposals for peace.” He said that the Holy See hopes that Erdogan will continue his dialogue with Ukraine, Russia and the United States to help reach a ceasefire and end the war that has been going on for nearly four years.
Regarding Gaza, he reiterated the Holy See’s firm position of supporting a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. The establishment of a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza has long been considered internationally the only way to resolve the conflict.
The Holy See recognized Palestinian statehood in 2015, but the push for a two-state solution received new momentum this year during the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Several other countries officially recognized Palestinian statehood during the UN General Assembly.
He said: “We know that Israel does not accept this solution at this moment, but we see it as the only solution that can provide a solution to the conflict in which they live.” “We are also friends of Israel and we are trying with both sides to be a mediating voice that can help bring them closer to a solution that achieves justice for all.”
Liu avoided any direct mention of the conflict in Gaza while in Türkiye. In his brief remarks to reporters summarizing his trip so far, he omitted any reference to his visit to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, his most visible engagement with Turkey’s Muslim majority.
Instead, Leo focused on the main reason he came to the region: to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of an important gathering of bishops from across the Roman Empire at Iznik, Turkey in 325 AD. There the bishops agreed on a common doctrine, or confession of faith.
Millions of Christians around the world still recite the Nicene Creed today, and despite schisms and other divisions, it is a rare point of agreement between Catholic and Orthodox believers and most Protestant believers.
Leo participated in the commemoration of the Council of Nicaea in Iznik and spent his time in Istanbul meeting with various Orthodox patriarchs. During a joint meeting on Saturday, he suggested that they meet in a significant way in 2033 in Jerusalem, to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, as a new visible sign of their unity.
“This is clearly an event that all Christians want to celebrate,” he added. He added, “We have years to prepare,” but said that the various patriarchs welcomed the proposal.
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