A mosaic of different confessions and nationalities at Pope’s Mass in Istanbul

By Isabella H. de Carvalho – Istanbul 

As Pope Leo evoked in his homily the three bridges that today cross the Bosphorus Strait and encouraged the faithful to build bridges in their own lives that promote unity and peace, a mosaic of people of all different nationalities and confessions was listening, as they participated in the Mass at the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul on Saturday, November 29.

Can Sancar, for example, came with a group of 10 people of different religions and travelled 2 hours from the south of Türkiye to attend the event. “We are Catholic, Armenian, Orthodox Syriac… We are very happy to participate together, all Christian people together,” he highlighted. He added that they also followed on television the day before, the ecumenical prayer service with Pope Leo, Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian representatives at Iznik, modern-day Nicaea, to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the council. He said it was “a special and historic” moment for Christians in Türkiye.

Nicholas and Yigit Bilge, 32 and 17 years old respectively and both volunteers at the Mass, expressed the same feeling. “It would be a shame to just get here for the Mass, watch and leave. This is a historic moment for us Christians in Türkiye, so we decided to volunteer and help the community,” said Yigit, as he stood next to Nicholas, both of them wearing matching white hoodies with the papal journey’s logo on them.

A visit to promote peace

Nicholas is Iranian and Catholic, but has been living in Türkiye for several years. He works as a schoolteacher in a town 16 hours away by car, so he took a plane to Istanbul to be present. “I couldn’t sleep for the last two nights because of my excitement,” he said, sharing that he had seen the Pope also at the Jubilee of Youth in August.

For Yigit, Pope Leo’s visit could be summarized in one word: peace. “We really think that the Pope is the only person who talks about peace today,” he reflected.

“The other message would be the word ‘love’,” emphasized Nicholas. “It is a commandment in the Bible that we have to love our neighbours, and Türkiye is a society where we have to know how to live with our neighbours, as they have different beliefs.”

For Tamar Karasu Mayoglu, a Turkish woman belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church and who works for the Bible Society, the Pope’s visit also represents a call for peace in these troubled times.  “It’s difficult to find the words to express our feelings, but we are really happy that he made this trip, it’s a really big message to all Christians and to the world about peace and reconciliation.”

She shared that she had also seen the Pope at his meeting with the Catholic community at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on Friday and was able to give him a book about an ecumenical symposium she organized about the Council of Nicaea.

Being brothers and sisters

Celine Guilavogui, a 23-year-old Catholic from Guinea who is studying in Istanbul, shared that she would have never expected to get to meet the Pope in Türkiye of all places. “I know that the roots of Christianity also originate in part in Türkiye, but today it is a majority-Muslim country. Seeing the Pope in Türkiye brings hope,” she said, adding she was excited to spend time with other Christians.

Paul and Sylvie Yabas instead travelled from France specifically to participate in the Pope’s visit. Sylvie is Chaldean and lived in Türkiye until age 10. “We feel like we are receiving a special blessing. Pope Leo really brings hope and a message of peace and of love,” she said. 

“In all the countries in the world, if we are Christians or Muslims or another religion, we are all brothers and sisters.  I want the whole world to know this.”