Pope Leo speaks to Turkey and the world in his first speech of the international trip which takes him to Ankara and Istanbul and then, from 30 November, to Lebanon. And in this sense they waited for him in the country that acts as a hinge between Europe and Asia. If to ordinary people the Pontiff’s arrival seems little more than a curiosity, the political and religious authorities of the country know well how important relations with Rome are. Even more so at a time when multilateralism seems to be in crisis and it is difficult to enforce international law. And then the Holy See, with its moral and spiritual authority, tries to build bridges. Starting with a country that, despite the contradictions, has made the bridge its symbol. That of the Dardanelles which connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. That between East and West, between Continents, between religions. “Today more than ever there is a need for personalities who encourage dialogue and practice it with firm will and patient tenacity”, Pope Leo clearly declares when speaking to the country’s authorities. He does this after visiting the Ataturk museum. The father of the country, founder and first president of Türkiye, by breaking with fundamentalist Islam, had pushed the country towards secularism. Ottoman Koranic law replaced by civil code, polygamy banned, the right to vote for women was established, the Latin alphabet was adopted instead of the Arabic one to translate the Turkish language, Sunday rest was moved from Friday to Sunday, the veil was prohibited for women, to name just a few of the many reforms. Look again at this recent past Turkey which today wants to act as an intermediary between the various conflicts, primarily the Israeli-Palestinian one and the Russian-Ukrainian one, as Erdogan recalled in his welcome speech. Leone’s journey captures the challenge and opportunity of being able to work together for unity and peace. «After the season of construction of large international organizations, following the tragedies of the two world wars, we are going through a highly conflictual phase on a global level, in which strategies of economic and military power prevail, fueling what Pope Francis called a “piecemeal third world war”. We must not give in to this drift in any way!”, denounces the Pontiff. And he adds: «The future of humanity is at stake. Why the energies and resources absorbed by this destructive dynamic are taken away from the real challenges that the human family today should instead face united, that is, peace, the fight against hunger and povertyfor health and education and for the protection of creation.” And then he underlines the Holy See’s desire to «cooperate with all Nations that have at heart the integral development of every man and of all men and women. Let us walk together, then, in truth and friendship, humbly trusting in God’s help.”
Praise, in front of President Erdogan, the artistic, natural and cultural beauty of the country. Ua wealth which, in a «land inextricably linked to the origins of Christianity» which «today calls the children of Abraham and all humanity to a brotherhood that recognizes and appreciates differences» recalls that “in the meeting between generations, traditions and different ideas, great civilizations take shape, in which development and wisdom come together in unity”.
In front of a world “destabilized by ambitions and decisions that trample justice and peace”, adds Leone, “being a people with a great past represents a gift and a responsibility”.
An appeal that President Erdogan had already underlined in his speech, saying he was ready for his country to do “its part to resolve international crises”, as the Turkish media following the event immediately relaunched.
Leo, then, rinames the symbol chosen as the emblem of the journey, the bridge over the Dardanelles Strait, which «effectively expresses the special role of your country. You have an important place in the present and future of the Mediterranean and the entire world, first of all by valorizing your internal diversity. Before connecting Asia and Europe, East and West, in fact, that bridge binds Türkiye to itself, composes its parts and thus makes it, so to speak, from within a crossroads of sensitivity, which to standardize would represent an impoverishment. In fact, a society is alive if it is plural: it is the bridges between its different souls that make it a civil society. Today human communities are increasingly polarized and torn by extreme positions, which shatter them.”
A unity in which Christians also want to collaborate. Christians «who are and feel part of the Turkish identity, so much appreciated by Saint John XXIII, remembered by you as the “Turkish Pope” for the profound friendship that always bound him to your people. He, who was Administrator of the Latin Vicariate of Istanbul and Apostolic Delegate in Turkey and Greece from 1935 to 1945, worked intensely to ensure that Catholics were not alienated from the construction of your new Republic.” Since those years, many steps forward have been made towards what «Pope Francis defined as the “culture of encounter”».
In a land that saw not only that of Nicaea, 1,700 years ago, but the first eight ecumenical councils, Leo hopes that Turkey can «be a factor of stability and rapprochement between peoples, at the service of a just and lasting peace. The visit to Turkey of four Popes – Paul VI in 1967, John Paul II in 1979, Benedict XVI in 2006 and Francis in 2014 – attests that the Holy See not only maintains good relations with the Republic of Turkey, but wishes to cooperate in building a better world with the contribution of this country, which constitutes a bridge between East and West, between Asia and Europe, and a crossroads of cultures and religions”.
Praises the contribution of religions to development and the fundamental role of the family and women. To respond to the challenges of being able to «reshape local policies and international relations, especially in the face of a technological evolution that could otherwise accentuate injustices, instead of contributing to dissolving them. Even artificial intelligences, in fact, reproduce our preferences and accelerate processes which, upon closer inspection, are not the machines, but humanity that has undertaken.”
Leone calls for working together “to change the trajectory of development and to repair the damage already inflicted on the unity of the human family”. The family model can act as a point of reference because «for each of us the family was the first nucleus of social life, in which to experience that without the other there is no “I”. More than in other countries, the family retains great importance in Turkish culture and there is no shortage of initiatives to support its centrality. In fact, within it, essential attitudes for civil coexistence and a first, fundamental sensitivity towards the common good develop. Of course, every family can also close in on itself, cultivate enmities, or prevent some of its members from expressing themselves, to the point of hindering the development of their talents. However, it is not from an individualistic culture, nor from the contempt of marriage and fertility, that people can obtain greater opportunities for life and happiness. To this deception of consumerist economies, in which solitude becomes business, it is best to respond with a culture that appreciates affection and bonds. Only together do we become authentically ourselves. Only in love does our interiority become profound and our identity strong. Those who despise fundamental bonds and do not learn to support even their limits and fragilities more easily become intolerant and incapable of interacting with a complex world.”
And on women adds that they «also through study and active participation in professional, cultural and political life, increasingly put themselves at the service of the country and its positive influence on the international scene. Therefore, the important initiatives in this sense, in support of the family and women’s contribution to the full flowering of social life, are very much to be appreciated.”
