Ankara, Turkey
—
Pope Leo XIV wished Americans a cheerful Thanksgiving on board his papal airplane and thanked journalists for his or her work as he traveled to Turkey for his first foreign visit.
Leo arrived in Ankara on Thursday for a six-day trip which incorporates Lebanon, the place he is anticipated to emphasise the important thing themes of his fledgling preach.
“To the Americans here, happy Thanksgiving,” the first American pope stated as he greeted reporters flying from Rome.
Leo thanked journalists “for the service that you offer,” including that “it’s so important today that the message be transmitted in a way that really reveals the truth and harmony that the world needs.”
His go to to Turkey and Lebanon, Leo stated, is concentrated on “unity” and “peace,” and “to look for the ways all men and women can surely be brothers and sisters in spite of differences, in spite of different religions, in spite of different beliefs.”
Leo is visiting two international locations with a majority Muslim inhabitants however which are dwelling to historic Christian communities. His go to to Beirut comes a number of days after bombing by Israel’s navy on the Lebanese capital.
On board the airplane, Leo greeted every of the roughly 80 journalists on board individually, together with NCS, after receiving items of two pumpkin pies and a pecan pie, conventional Thanksgiving desserts. As he obtained the dishes, Leo stated he deliberate to share a few of the pumpkin pies.
Among the opposite items introduced to the pope have been a baseball bat as soon as utilized by Nellie Fox, the legendary Chicago White Sox baseball participant – which is Leo’s group – and a few White Sox slippers and socks.
Leo, a eager Wordle participant, just lately revealed that he opts for a special starter phrase of the favored on-line puzzle sport every day. When requested by the Associated Press how he had received on in the present day, Leo stated he had accomplished the puzzle in three makes an attempt.
Before he circulated amongst reporters, the pope was additionally greeted by Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, whose first papal flight was in 1979 with John Paul II. Alazraki confused that though Leo may really feel like he’s going into the lion’s den by assembly journalists he had “nothing to fear.” She introduced him with an icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe, beloved by Catholics from throughout North and South America.
The first day of Leo’s trip will see him lay a wreath at Ataturk’s mausoleum, the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of Turkey; meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; and deal with political and civic leaders on the presidential palace. Afterwards he is because of go to the Diyanet, the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey, and meet the nation’s chief rabbi. He will depart Ankara for Istanbul later Thursday.
Although a constitutionally secular state, Turkey has a predominantly Muslim inhabitants and is dwelling to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is taken into account the non secular chief of the Eastern Orthodox Church and has his headquarters in Istanbul.
Leo is because of meet with him on Friday and participate in celebrations of an essential church landmark: the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which formulated core Christian beliefs. The celebrations are going down in modern-day Iznik, northwestern Turkey, the place the council was held in 325 AD.