Pope Francis will travel to Turkey next year to mark the anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, held in 325 during the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine I, which established the official creed and the foundations of Christian doctrine for the next centuries.
“His Holiness Pope Francis wishes to celebrate this important anniversary together,” Patriarch Bartholomeos I of Istanbul, head of the Orthodox Church, announced on Thursday during an event in Portugal’s capital Lisbon. The Orthodox Christian leader explained that Pope Francis I plans to visit the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in Istanbul and then travel to the Turkish city of İznik, where the Council of Nicaea took place 1700 years ago.
Bartholomew I further added that a commission is already being formed to organise the Pope’s visit, and that the Vatican is expected to contact the Turkish government soon to prepare the Pope’s stay in the country.
Pope Francis’ visit to Turkey will be quite a challenge for a Pope who turns 88 next December, and who already has several health and mobility problems due to his age that limit his travels, and have considerably reduced his trips abroad. Due to a knee problem, Francis has often been forced to move around in a wheelchair, and this year he has been forced to suspend several public appearances.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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