World News: Pope Leo Visits Turkey
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Monday, 01 December 2025 06:34
- Written by Olivier Longhi
Pope Leo XIV's visit to Turkey reveals the growing weight of the former Ottoman Empire in international diplomacy because it is capable of addressing a number of actors. But this influence, recognized and proven, may be short lived.
Here is a country that sometimes, according to the jolts of current events and geopolitics, occupies the forefront of the media scene without taking up all the space. Turkey is therefore that country, on the borders of Europe and at the gates of the East, which recently received a visit from Pope Leo XIV.
This visit, which could have seemed almost incidental, was nevertheless of both religious and diplomatic interest, the two aspects can occasionally confuse. Thus, by going to Turkey, the pope sought to reassure the Christian community, discreet and small, about the Vatican's support for them. Again, nothing exceptional. Even so, the visit of a Christian to Muslim land is not trivial in view of the global diplomatic situation and in particular that of the Middle East.
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Authoritarian politics
For Turkey is today a country that is not courted but spared despite its violations of human rights and the press, which continue to multiply in the silence of international chancelleries. There are several reasons for this silence, which allows Recep Erdogan to continue his authoritarian policies without any problems. Among the reasons given is the fact that Turkey is now the interlocutor of organizations or states that have been excluded.
Vladimir Putin's Russia, which knows how to find a range of military equipment in Turkey, including combat drones, is a loyal supporter of the Turkish president. As a Sunni Muslim land, Turkey is also listened to and heard by Hamas, Israel's sworn enemy, with whom Ankara also maintains cordial relations. This situation of diplomatic crossroads, which is also based on a geographical crossroads, Turkey dominating the straits of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, keys to the Black Sea, is the result of Recep Erdogan's permanent entry on an international scale, eager to restore Turkey to the greatness and influence of the Ottoman Empire.
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Aura and influence
For the time being, it is clear that the gamble has paid off, with a number of Western nations calling on Ankara, officially or unofficially, to discreetly interfere in the negotiations without dwelling on the human rights situation in Turkey, which is considered secondary to the situation.
However, if Turkey's influence, or at least its role, is proven, perhaps overestimated, it is also nourished by the current international situation and circumstances that invite us to turn to this multifaceted country. It remains to be seen whether, once the Ukrainian crises are over or Hamas is controlled, Ankara will retain the same aura. For, for the record, as powerful as it was, the Ottoman Empire disappeared in favor of present-day Turkey.
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Bio: Olivier Longhi has extensive experience in European history. A seasoned journalist with fifteen years of experience, he is currently a professor of history and geography in the Toulouse region of France. He has held a variety of publishing positions, including Head of Agency and Chief of Publishing. A journalist and recognized blogger, editor, and editorial project manager, he has trained and managed editorial teams, worked as a journalist for various local radio stations, was a press and publishing consultant, and was a communications consultant.
