Pope Francis's First Visit to Turkey

Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, has traveled to Turkey for the first time since his election to this position, visiting Ankara and Istanbul over three days starting from Friday, December 7. This is the fourth time a pope has visited Turkey. On the first day of his trip, the Catholic leader will meet and discuss with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. After Ankara, Pope Francis will spend two days in Istanbul, where he will visit historical sites and meet with Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Prior to Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI visited Turkey in 2006, a trip that was overshadowed by protests and controversies following the previous pope's remarks about 'violence and Islam.' The Hurriyet newspaper quoted a spokesperson from the Turkish Foreign Ministry stating that 'the dialogue between cultures, combating xenophobia, fighting racism, and regional political development' are among the topics of discussion during Pope Francis's meetings. The Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported that nearly 900 journalists will attend the welcoming ceremony for the pope at the Presidential Palace in Ankara. According to Agence France-Presse, the security of Pope Francis is of utmost importance to Turkish officials, and it seems he will not meet the public closely. In Ankara, 2,700 police officers and in Istanbul, 7,000 police officers will be responsible for maintaining security. On Saturday, the pope is expected to visit Hagia Sophia, a church built during the Byzantine Empire that was converted into a mosque during Sultan Mehmed II's reign and is now a museum.