Cardinal Parolin says Pope Leo aiming to give hope to Christians in the Middle East – Crux

    
       
    
Father Maurice El Khoury, left, leads Sunday Mass inside a room usually used as a residence for visiting bishops next to St. George Melkite Catholic Church, which was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, in the town of Dardghaya, southern Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (Credit: Hassan Ammar/AP.)
Ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s to Türkiye and Lebanon, Cardinal Pietro Parolin says the pontiff wants to meet the Christian communities in the country’s where they make up a minority.
Leo was scheduled to be in Türkiye Nov. 27 to 30 and Lebanon from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.
“I imagine there will be joy, as well as a sense of responsibility in fulfilling the tasks entrusted to him,” the Vatican Secretary of State told Vatican Media.
The cardinal also spoke about the anniversary being celebrated during his visit: The 1,700^th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
The meeting of bishops which took place in the year 325 battled against the Arian heresy, which denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ. The area where the city of Nicaea used to be is located in Turkey, and during his visit, Pope Leo will meet Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who is the “first among equals” of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
“It is a very important anniversary, and preparations have been underway for some time precisely to highlight its significance. The pope’s presence itself emphasizes its importance,” Parolin said.
”The Council of Nicaea — 1,700 years ago — laid the foundations of our faith: Belief in Jesus Christ as fully divine and fully human. Christ is true God and true man. This is the foundation of all Christian faith, despite the many divisions that unfortunately still exist among us,” the cardinal added.
“I would emphasize both the Christological focus, which lies at the heart of the Christian faith, and the ecumenical dimension, which brings us together to profess the same faith in Jesus, true God and true man,” he said.
During his time in Türkiye, Pope Leo will visit the Blue Mosque, an important sight for Muslims, the now dominant religion of the Anatolia region.
“I believe this is a gesture of dialogue, a sign of interreligious respect, showing that Christians and Muslims can collaborate for a fairer, more supportive, and more fraternal world,” Parolin told Vatican Media.
“We recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, which highlights not only the special bond between Christians and Jews but also what Christians and Muslims share,” he said.
The cardinal said the visit to the Blue Mosque this is “a gesture of dialogue, a sign of interreligious respect, showing that Christians and Muslims can collaborate for a fairer, more supportive, and more fraternal world.”
“Recently, the pope spoke at the Colosseum, saying that those who pray do not give in to fundamentalism. So this is both a rejection of fundamentalism and an invitation to strengthen collaboration for common causes,” he said.
Speaking about Lebanon, Parolin said the visit by Pope Leo is “one of encouragement” for the Arab nation with the largest percentage of Christians.
“From the very beginning, Christians have always been a fundamental presence in the Middle East, contributing greatly to social, economic, cultural, and political life. They wish to continue this role,” he said.
“The problem today is that the Christian population in the Middle East is steadily declining—a matter of great concern for the Holy See. We hope Christians can remain in the region and continue to contribute to the societies in which they live,” the cardinal said.
Parolin told Vatican Media that Christians are citizens of the countries of the Middle East “and integral members of these societies, and they must be able to continue to fulfill their role and contribute.”
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