On flight from Turkey to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV reaffirms two-state solution for Holy Land, praises Erdogan’s Ukraine peace offers, and discusses 2033 jubilee.
Newsroom (01/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a clear signal of continuity with his predecessors, Pope Leo XIV has revived and expanded the tradition of inflight papal press conferences, holding an impromptu two-hour session with journalists Nov. 30 while flying from Turkey to Lebanon, the final leg of his first foreign journey as pontiff.
Speaking in the reporters’ section of the aircraft, the pope addressed the ecumenical significance of his six-day visit to Turkey, answered questions from two Turkish journalists, and offered candid remarks on some of the world’s most intractable conflicts.
Among the most closely watched exchanges was a question about whether the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza had been raised during Pope Leo’s private audience Nov. 27 with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The pope confirmed that both conflicts were discussed, though neither the Holy See nor the Turkish presidency has released an official readout of the meeting.
“This trip had a special theme of being a messenger of peace, of wanting to promote peace throughout the region,” Pope Leo told reporters.
On the war in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he reiterated the Vatican’s long-standing position. “The Holy See for many years has publicly supported a proposal for a two-state solution” in the Holy Land, he said, describing independent, secure Israeli and Palestinian states within agreed borders as “the only possible solution to the conflict they continually live.”
Acknowledging the current impasse, the pope noted that “right now Israel does not accept that solution,” while stressing that the Holy See remains “friends with Israel” and seeks to serve as “a mediating voice that can help approach a solution with justice for all.”
Turning to Ukraine, Pope Leo highlighted President Erdogan’s repeated offers to host direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow. “Unfortunately, we’ve not yet seen a solution,” he said, “but today there are concrete proposals for peace, and we hope that President Erdogan, with his relationship with the presidents of Ukraine, Russia and the United States, can help… to promote dialogue, a ceasefire, and see how to resolve this conflict, this war in Ukraine.”
The inflight encounter also touched on the rich ecumenical dimension of the Turkey visit, which marked the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325.
Pope Leo described the Nov. 28 commemoration at Iznik (ancient Nicaea) as “very simple, but very profound,” held at the ruins of one of the ancient basilicas where bishops once forged the Nicene Creed. The trip culminated Nov. 30 with the pope’s participation in a Divine Liturgy presided over by Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.
In a brief aside, the pope revealed that he and Patriarch Bartholomew, joined by other Orthodox and Protestant leaders Nov. 29, had discussed the possibility of a joint Christian celebration in 2033 to mark the 2,000th anniversary of Christ’s death and resurrection. An ecumenical gathering in Jerusalem was among the ideas floated as part of “possible future encounters,” he said.
By taking questions mid-journey and in the air, Pope Leo XIV not only continued but innovated upon the airborne press tradition made famous by Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis, underscoring that open dialogue with the media—and frank commentary on global crises—will remain a hallmark of his pontificate.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from OSV News
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