Item 1 of 2 Pope Leo XIV meets Emine Erdogan, wife of Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, at the Vatican, July 2, 2025. Vatican Media/Mario Tomassetti/Handout via REUTERS
[1/2] Pope Leo XIV meets Emine Erdogan, wife of Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, at the Vatican, July 2, 2025. Vatican Media/Mario Tomassetti/Handout via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
ISTANBUL and VATICAN CITY, July 2 (Reuters) – Pope Leo told Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan that he aims to visit Turkey at the end of November, according to a readout of their meeting at the Vatican on Wednesday by the Turkish presidency.
The pope, who held an official meeting with the wife of President Tayyip Erdogan at the Vatican’s apostolic palace, told her that officials from Ankara and Vatican were working on the details of the visit, the presidency said in a statement.
The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the first lady’s statement.
Leo, elected on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, has not yet announced any foreign trips.
Francis had been planning a trip to Turkey before his death to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of an early Church council with Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Leo has been widely expected to take the trip in Francis’ stead.
Bartholomew previously told an Italian television station that he and Leo discussed the possibility of the new pope travelling to Turkey in late November.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
Suggested Topics:
Read Next
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Wednesday that his country was serious about reaching a deal with the Palestinian Hamas group to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages held there to Israel.
Site Index
About Reuters
Stay Informed
Information you can trust
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.