León XIV to Catholics in Turkey: Advent ‘resolutions’ to build bridges

– Cindy Wooden, Istanbul, CNS

This afternoon, Pope Leo gave Catholics in Turkey a few ecumenical and interfaith suggestions for this Advent season that is beginning: build bridges with other Catholics, other Christians, and other believers in God.

With their different rites, cultures, languages, and races, Catholics find unity around the altar, which “is a gift from God. As such, it is strong and invincible, because it is the work of His grace,” said Pope Leo XIV.

Pope Leo was accompanied at the Volkswagen Arena by lay people, priests, and bishops from the Latin, Chaldean, Armenian, and Syriac Catholic Churches. .

The readings and prayers of the Mass were recited in Latin, Turkish, English, Armenian, Arabic, and Italian.

Tasks for this Advent

Also in attendance were Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and representatives from other Christian communities.

While celebrating Mass on the eve of the first Sunday of Advent, Pope Leo gave Catholics what he described as “resolutions” to work on during Advent: building bridges with other Catholics, other Christians, and other believers in God.

The unity in diversity displayed in the arena, like the three bridges in Istanbul over the Bosphorus Strait connecting Europe and Asia, needs constant maintenance to remain strong, Pope Leo said.

Strengthen ties 

Addressing the various Catholic communities, the Pope urged them to make every effort “to foster and strengthen the bonds that unite us, so that we may enrich one another and be a credible sign to the world of the Lord's universal and infinite love.”.

The second bond that Catholics must cultivate, he said, is the one they maintain with other Christians, because “the same faith in Jesus our Savior unites not only those of us within the Catholic Church, but all our brothers and sisters who belong to other Christian churches.”.

In a 99% Muslim country, dialogue and tolerance

And, in a nation where approximately 99% of the population is Muslim, Pope Leo said, Catholics must practice dialogue and tolerance, promoting respect and peace in «a world where religion is too often used to justify wars and atrocities.».

“We want to walk together, valuing what unites us, breaking down the walls of prejudice and mistrust, promoting mutual understanding and esteem, to give everyone a strong message of hope and an invitation to become builders of peace,” he said.

Hundreds of people were unable to access

Father Ryan C. Boyle, a lieutenant colonel and chaplain at Incirlik Air Base, was one of the concelebrants at the Mass, but unfortunately the U.S. military personnel who traveled to Istanbul with him were outside the stadium with hundreds of other people who did not get one of the 4,000 free tickets to the Mass.

The metaphor of bridge building was appropriate, Father Boyle told Catholic News Service. “’Pontifex Maximus’—one of the pope's titles—means great bridge builder.».

“And then, as a military chaplain, I work in a pluralistic environment with Protestant chaplains, Jewish chaplains, and Muslim chaplains,” he said, “and although we have very different religious backgrounds and traditions, we often manage to find common ground and work together.”.

There will be no signs in heaven: ‘Catholics this way,’ ‘Orthodox that way.’

Regarding the various Christian traditions, the Pontiff said: “We are all united in our love for Jesus Christ. We all long to be in heaven with the angels and saints for ever and ever. And, of course, in heaven there will be no signs saying: “Catholics this way” and “Orthodox that way.”".

For a joint Jubilee in Jerusalem in 2033

Before Mass at the Volkswagen Arena, Pope Leo XIV said this morning, during a meeting with Christian leaders, that he hopes they can gather in Jerusalem in 2033 to celebrate together the 2,000th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Subsequently, in a joint statement with Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, he urged Christians in the East and West to finally agree on a common date for Easter. The pope and the patriarch also called for an end to the war.

Meeting with Orthodox leaders

Both met in Istanbul on Sunday with Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant leaders who had joined them the previous day in Iznik, site of the ancient city of Nicaea. The goal was to commemorate commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the principles of the Nicene Creed, which are shared by all traditional Christians.

The meeting with the leaders was held at the Syrian Orthodox Church of Mor Ephrem, inaugurated in 2023, the first and only Christian church built in Turkey since the founding of the Republic of Turkey as a constitutionally secular nation in 1923.

According to the Vatican press office, Pope Leo XIII spoke with leaders about the possibility of celebrating the Jubilee of 2033 together in Jerusalem.

Leo XIV: celebrating in the Upper Room

At dusk, Pope Leo met again with Patriarch Bartholomew at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George for a doxological prayer service of praise to God.

“Yesterday, and again this morning, we experienced extraordinary moments of grace as we commemorated, together with our brothers and sisters in faith, the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea,” Pope Leo said during the ceremony.

Seeking the restoration of full communion

“As we remember that significant event and are inspired by Jesus” prayer that all his disciples may be one,“ said the Pope, ”we are encouraged in our commitment to seek the restoration of full communion among all Christians, a task we undertake with God's help.".

During the doxology, he said, “the deacon addressed God with the petition ‘for the stability of the Holy Churches and for the unity of all.’ This same petition will also be repeated in tomorrow's Divine Liturgy. May God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and fulfill this prayer.”.

The calendar and dates

The Council of Nicaea also set a common date for all Christians to celebrate Easter: the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox. However, the Julian calendar, which Christians used in the fourth century, was increasingly out of step with the solar year, so March 21, generally considered the date of the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, gradually drifted away from the actual equinox.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII reformed the calendar, eliminating ten days and making the equinox fall on March 21 again. However, most Eastern Christians did not adopt the new calendar, which meant that Easter was sometimes celebrated on the same day, but the Eastern Christians' celebration could be up to four weeks later.

Saint Paul VI and all the popes who succeeded him, including Pope Leo, have said that the Catholic Church is open to accepting an Orthodox proposal for a common date for Easter.

Historic Joint Declaration by the Pope and the Patriarch 

In their joint statement, which can be read in full here, The Pope and the Patriarch said that the anniversary of Nicaea should inspire «new and courageous steps on the path toward unity,» including the search for that common date.

“We thank divine providence that this year the entire Christian world celebrated Easter on the same day,” they said. “It is our common desire to continue exploring a possible solution for celebrating the Feast of Feasts together each year. We hope and pray that all Christians, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding, will commit themselves to achieving a common celebration of the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.”.

We invoke the divine gift of peace

Part of the goal of Christianity, they also said, is to contribute to peace among all people.

“Together we raise our voices fervently to invoke the divine gift of peace for our world,” they said. “Tragically, in many regions of the world, conflict and violence continue to destroy the lives of so many people. We call on those with civil and political responsibilities to do everything possible to ensure that the tragedy of war ceases immediately, and we ask all people of good will to support our plea.”.