Pope Leo marks Thanksgiving with pumpkin pie as he lands in Turkey on first abroad journey

[ad_1] Ankara, Turkey —

Pope Leo XIV wished Individuals a contented Thanksgiving on board his papal aircraft and thanked journalists for his or her work as he traveled to Turkey for his first foreign visit .

Leo arrived in Ankara on Thursday for a six-day journey which incorporates Lebanon, the place he's anticipated to emphasise the important thing themes of his fledgling hold forth.

“To the Individuals right here, comfortable Thanksgiving,” the primary American pope stated as he greeted reporters flying from Rome.

Leo thanked journalists “for the service that you simply provide,” including that “it’s so necessary at present that the message be transmitted in a method that basically reveals the reality and concord that the world wants.”

His go to to Turkey and Lebanon, Leo stated, is concentrated on “unity” and “peace,” and “to search for the methods all women and men can absolutely be brothers and sisters despite variations, despite totally different religions, despite totally different beliefs.”

Leo is visiting two nations with a majority Muslim inhabitants however which are residence to historic Christian communities. His go to to Beirut comes a number of days after bombing by Israel’s army on the Lebanese capital.

On board the aircraft, Leo greeted every of the roughly 80 journalists on board individually, together with CNN, after receiving items of two pumpkin pies and a pecan pie, conventional Thanksgiving desserts. As he acquired the dishes, Leo stated he deliberate to share a number of the pumpkin pies.

Among the many different items introduced to the pope had been a baseball bat as soon as utilized by Nellie Fox, the legendary Chicago White Sox baseball participant – which is Leo’s workforce – and a few White Sox slippers and socks.

Leo, a eager Wordle participant, lately revealed that he opts for a unique starter phrase of the favored on-line puzzle recreation every day. When requested by the Related Press how he had bought on at present, Leo stated he had accomplished the puzzle in three makes an attempt.

Earlier than he circulated amongst reporters, the pope was additionally greeted by Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, whose first papal flight was in 1979 with John Paul II. Alazraki harassed that though Leo may really feel like he’s going into the lion’s den by assembly journalists he had “nothing to concern.” She introduced him with an icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe, beloved by Catholics from throughout North and South America.

The primary day of Leo’s journey will see him lay a wreath at Ataturk’s mausoleum, the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of Turkey; meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; and deal with political and civic leaders on the presidential palace. Afterwards he is because of go to the Diyanet, the Presidency of Non secular Affairs in Turkey, and meet the nation’s chief rabbi. He'll depart Ankara for Istanbul later Thursday.

Though a constitutionally secular state, Turkey has a predominantly Muslim inhabitants and is residence to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is taken into account the religious chief of the Jap Orthodox Church and has his headquarters in Istanbul.

Leo is because of meet with him on Friday and participate in celebrations of an necessary church landmark: the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which formulated core Christian beliefs. The celebrations are happening in modern-day Iznik, northwestern Turkey, the place the council was held in 325 AD.