Pope's visit to Turkey sparked nationalist protests

Protests have begun in Turkey ahead of the visit of Pope Leo XIV, scheduled for November 27-30. The discontent of nationalist circles is caused by the Vatican’s plans to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in ancient Nicea (modern Iznik) on a day of special historical significance for the country, as well as the participation of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in the events.

According to the Italian edition Il Messagero, the main reason for the protests was the chosen date of the celebrations — November 28. This day coincides with the 105th anniversary of the capture of Nicea by Turkish troops in 1920 during the Greek-Turkish war. Nationalist and small political parties in Turkey considered such a coincidence «an insult to historical memory and national identity.»

A protest has already taken place in the city of Bursa, located near Iznik. Participants chanted slogans: «We are not in Byzantium, this is the Republic of Turkey. This is not Nicea here, this is Iznik.» One activist said the pope’s visit was «not an innocent religious rite, but a political initiative aimed at Turkey’s sovereignty.» Protesters’ placards could also be seen reading, «Stop the ecumenical conspiracy.»

Additional tension is created by the planned participation of Patriarch Bartholomew in the celebrations. Turkish nationalists claim that recognizing the Patriarchate of Constantinople as «ecumenical» is a «blow to the sovereignty of the Republic of Turkey» and violates the 1923 Lausanne Agreement, which defines the Patriarchate’s status as exclusively religious, without political authority.

Despite the protests, Pope Leo XIV’s visit, planned as far back as his predecessor, Pope Francis, remains on track. It is expected that the pontiff together with Patriarch Bartholomew will take part in the anniversary events dedicated to the Council, which approved the Creed.

Recall, earlier we reported that the meeting of the head of the Roman Catholic Church and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in Nicea in November 2025, timed to coincide with the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, causes serious concern in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhya and Melitopol said that this event could become not just a dialog on unity, but a stage for the creation of a new church union under the auspices of Rome and the Phanar, which poses a direct threat to canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine.