In Istanbul, Pope Leo XIV will meet the patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church to show amity between two of the world’s largest Christian groups.

The Chicago-born pope's visit comes as Turkey, a country of more than 85 million people of predominantly Sunni Muslims, has cast itself as a key intermediary in efforts to end the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

Ahead of his visit, Leo shared a Thanksgiving message with NBC News encouraging all people "to recognize that we have all received so many gifts."

Pope Leo XIV started the second day of his tour of Turkey and Lebanon meeting bishops and other church officials at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, a 19th-century Baroque church in Istanbul’s Sisli district.

Pope Leo XIV condemned the use of religion for justifying “war,” “violence” or “fanaticism” on Friday – instead urging Catholics to mobilize their faith and unify others “regardless of ethnicity, nationality,

Pope Leo struggles to unveil a plaque commemorating his visit to Turkey:: Istanbul, Turkey:: November 28, 2025Church staff and security personnel rushed to help him pull down the curtain which was covering the plaque on the wall and had snagged on the marble.