Pope Leo XIV will meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I during his upcoming visit to Turkey and Lebanon, marking his first apostolic journey abroad since his election, the Vatican and the Ecumenical Patriarchate announced on Tuesday.
The six-day trip, scheduled from November 27 to December 2, will include a joint pilgrimage to the Turkish city of İznik (ancient Nicaea) on November 28 to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a defining event in Christian history that produced the Nicene Creed.
The Nicene Creed serves as the common doctrinal framework for most of Christianity, clearly defining the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and confirming the full divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ as necessary for the salvation of humanity.
Bartholomew and Leo to commemorate the Nicene Creed together
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Ecumenical Patriarchate expressed its “joy at the forthcoming visit of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV of Rome to [Turkey],” noting that it comes “in response to the expressed wish and invitation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to commemorate together the historic 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council convened in Nicaea.”
The Patriarchate confirmed that the two Primates will travel together to Nicaea of Bithynia on November 28, before the Pope’s official visit to the See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Phanar on November 29 and 30, where they will jointly celebrate the Feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, founder of the Church of Constantinople.
According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, the Pope accepted invitations from the heads of state and church leaders in both countries. Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said the visit would also include time in Istanbul, where Pope Leo and Patriarch Bartholomew will celebrate the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle on November 30 at the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Phanar district.
Related: Pope Leo Calls for Common Catholic-Orthodox Easter at Nicaea Symposium
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