Pope Leo XIV arrived in Turkey on Thursday, kicking off his first foreign trip. He’s following Pope Francis’ plans to mark a major Christian anniversary and promote peace in the region.

This comes at a critical time, with efforts to end the war in Ukraine and ease tensions in the Middle East ongoing.

Leo was given a warm welcome at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport, where he met with Turkish officials, including Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy. He’ll meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and address the country’s diplomatic corps later. He’s headed to Istanbul on Thursday evening for ecumenical and interfaith meetings, before traveling to Lebanon.

On his plane, Leo spoke to reporters about the significance of his trip, highlighting its importance for Christians and peace in the region.

The Catholic Church has around 33,000 members in Turkey but isn’t formally recognized by the country, leading to various issues, according to Rev. Paolo Pugliese, head of the Capuchin Catholic friars in Turkey.

“This lack of recognition causes many problems,” he said. However, the Church has significant influence due to its international presence and the support of the Pope.

One sensitive moment during Leo’s visit will be his Sunday trip to Istanbul’s Armenian Apostolic Cathedral. All popes since Paul VI have visited this cathedral when in Turkey, except Francis, who went to Turkey in 2014 when its patriarch was ill. Francis visited the patriarch in the hospital instead.

The visit is particularly notable given the historical tensions between Turkey and the Vatican, especially after Francis’s 2015 declaration that the Ottoman Turks’ slaughter of Armenians was “the first genocide of the 20th century,” a statement that greatly angered Turkey and led to it recalling its ambassador to the Holy See.

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