Thank-you address to His Holiness Pope Leo after the Holy Mass in Istanbul

Most Reverend Father,

We offer our heartfelt thanks for strengthening your pilgrim brothers and sisters in faith in Turkey, rightly called the “Holy Land of the Church.” This Eucharistic gathering is like a new Upper Room for a renewed Pentecost, a strong sign of hope.

The President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, generously provided this venue for the celebration. The Patriarchs and leaders of sister Churches joined us in prayer.

Today, the Church in Turkey has gathered here from all over the country—Ankara, Bursa, İzmir, Konya, Anatolia, and the Black Sea region. We also warmly greet those coming from Antakya and Hatay, still bearing the scars of the great earthquake. Just as on Pentecost, there are people here from more than seventy nations, yet we all feel as one family, where no one is a stranger or a guest.

In Turkey, as in Nicaea seventeen centuries ago, the Church finds renewed unity in the profession of one faith. This journey toward full unity proceeds under the wise guidance of His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomeos. On these lands where Christianity and Islam have coexisted for centuries, we learn to discover mutual richness and to live together in brotherhood, breaking down walls of prejudice.

We thank you, Holy Father, for the artistic Eucharistic chalice you gifted us with the contribution of the Fathers of St. Peter’s Basilica. It bears the Nicene Creed and reminds us that true unity is born from the Eucharist.

We are also grateful for the pilgrims’ house in Nicaea, donated as a Jubilee sign by you and the Jubilee Committee, as previously desired by your esteemed predecessor, Pope Francis.

Holy Father, we especially thank you because, as a true Pontifex—a bridge-builder—you have encouraged us, by word and example, to break down walls of hostility and build bridges of brotherhood, so that, as Christians, we may serve justice and peace as pilgrims in the “Holy Lands of Turkey.”

† Bishop Massimiliano Palinuro
Vicar Apostolic of Istanbul, Turkey
Apostolic Administrator of Istanbul