Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi confirmed Pope Francis would be visiting Turkey after the Holy See received an official letter of invitation from the country’s President this morning.
In a statement, Father Lombardi said: “This morning the Holy See received a formal letter of invitation to Pope Francis, from the President of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan, to visit Turkey at the end of November, 2014.”
He added: “Preparations are now underway for that visit but the length and date of the visit has not yet been established.”
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I also invited the Pope to visit, and to make the trip on Nov. 30th, the feast of St. Andrew. Reports have suggested the Holy Father will also use the apostolic voyage to visit Iraqi refugees on the Turkish border.
