On November 30, during the Feast of Apostle Andrew, Pope Leo XIII will visit Istanbul, a rare event highlighting ongoing efforts to strengthen ties between the Roman Catholic Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Ahead of the Istanbul visit, the Pope and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will stop in Nicaea, Bithynia, the site of the First Ecumenical Council.
The announcement came from Patriarch Bartholomew himself, immediately after his meeting in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump, on Monday. The visit was also a topic of private discussion between the Patriarch and President Trump, with the Patriarch noting, “Vice President Vance remarked that Rome and Constantinople are the two great centers of Christianity.”
The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s statement highlighted Vance’s personal interest, noting he is a practicing Roman Catholic.
Diplomatic and Religious Coordination
In the coming hours, a special delegation from the Holy See is expected in Ankara for meetings with the Turkish Foreign Ministry to prepare the Pope’s visit. As both a religious leader and head of state, the Vatican’s protocol demands careful planning. Within 24 hours, the delegation will travel to Istanbul to coordinate with representatives from both the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the local Catholic community.
Reviving the Pentarchy
Sources indicate that the Nicaea stop aims to symbolically revive the so-called Pentarchy, the administrative model of the early Byzantine Empire established under Emperor Justinian. It included the five principal episcopal sees—Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem—each led by a Patriarch.
Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, overseeing the visit’s organization, has already visited the Church of Antioch for meetings with Patriarch John, and discussions with the Patriarchate of Alexandria have also taken place.
Notably, the title “Pope of the West” was officially dropped by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006, reflecting a shift toward a more collaborative ecclesiastical approach.
