In a letter to the new Pope Leo, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday expressed his wish for joint efforts to end humanitarian tragedies, especially in the Gaza Strip.
Erdoğan sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV congratulating the first U.S.-born pontiff on the occasion of his election to the office on behalf of the Turkish people, according to a statement from the Presidency's Directorate of Communications.
Erdoğan marked the late Pope Francis as a “valuable statesman who earned the appreciation of the entire world for his efforts to establish peace and tolerance at a time when regional and international conflicts were intensifying.”
“I have full faith that we will continue the sincere and constructive dialogue we established with Pope Francis,” Erdoğan reportedly said.
“It is my sincere belief that further advancing the relations between Türkiye and the Vatican will significantly contribute to the strengthening of tolerance in the international arena and the ending of humanitarian tragedies, especially in Gaza,” he said, expressing his wish for “joint efforts to end humanitarian tragedies.”
Leo was elected Thursday afternoon as the 267th pope, overcoming the traditional taboo against a pontiff from the United States because of the secular power the country wields.
Since Israel began attacking the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Leo’s predecessor, Francis, remained committed to offering unwavering support to Gaza, holding daily phone calls with the only Catholic church in the blockaded enclave and even willed his personal vehicle to be converted to a mobile clinic for children in Gaza.
