The Turkish Head of State Will Soon Be Received by the Pope
According to the Holy See Press Office, the Turkish head of State, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will be received for an audience with the Holy Father on the morning of February 5, 2018, at the Apostolic Palace.
The announcement of this visit comes after two phone calls from the Turkish president to the pope during the month of January regarding the one-sided decision of the United States to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The last Turkish president to have visited the Vatican was Cela Bayar, who was received in 1959 by Pope John XXIII, who had served as apostolic nuncio in Turkey from 1934 to 1943. The following year, bilateral diplomatic relations were established between the two States.
Although the pope and the current Turkish Head of State agree in their disapproval of the American decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, they also disagree on many points, particularly the recognition of the Armenian genocide.
Related links
Sources: Vatican Insider / Holy See Press Office / FSSPX.News
