At the conclusion of today’s general audience, Pope Francis asked the faithful to pray for his apostolic trip to Turkey this weekend.
“As you know,” the Pope said, “from next Friday to Sunday I will go to Turkey on an apostolic journey.”
“I invite all to pray that this visit of Peter to his brother Andrew will bear fruits of peace, sincere dialogue between the religions, and concord in the Turkish nation.”
The Pope will participate at a Divine Liturgy on the feast of St. Andrew at the Patriarchal Cathedral and sign a joint declaration with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I. The Ecumenical Patriarch is regarded as the successor of St. Andrew the Apostle.
The timing of Pope Francis’ trip to the nation, whose Catholics make up less than 1% of its population, falls on almost the same dates as Benedict XVI’s visit there in 2006.
Among the highlights of the Holy Father’s journey to Ankara and Istanbul are a visit to the Blue Mosque and the famed Hagia Sophia, as well as a Mass at the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.
***
Pope’s Program in Turkey: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/holy-see-confirms-apostolic-visit-to-turkey-in-november
Statistics on the Church in Turkey: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/holy-see-confirms-apostolic-visit-to-turkey-in-november
