ANKARA, Turkey — ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is set to hope on the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul on Sunday in a gesture of help for Christian unity and Christian minorities in Turkey.

Past its ecumenical symbolism, the go to additionally might sign quiet help of ongoing efforts to heal century-old wounds between Turkey and Armenia, lengthy scarred by mass killings and a long time of distrust, observers be aware.

An estimated 1.5 million Armenians died in massacres, deportations and compelled marches that started in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey. Historians extensively view the occasion as genocide.

Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and people killed have been victims of civil warfare and unrest. It has lobbied to stop international locations from formally recognizing the massacres as genocide.

Pope Francis didn’t go to any Armenian websites throughout his go to to Turkey in 2014, however on his strategy to the airport earlier than departing he made an unscripted cease at a hospital the place the ailing Armenian Patriach Mesrob II was being handled.

A yr later, Francis drew Ankara’s ire by referring to the slaughter of Armenians through the Ottoman period as “the primary genocide of the twentieth century.” He later visited Armenia the place he once more used the time period genocide.

Leo has steered away from controversy throughout his first six months as pope and his journey can be intently watched for echoes of Francis’ description of the killings.

His go to comes as Turkey and Armenia seem like shifting nearer towards a normalization of their ties and the pontiff’s go to is more likely to lend help to these efforts, mentioned Richard Giragosian, the founding director of the Regional Research Heart primarily based in Yerevan, Armenia.

“Extra than simply the symbolic significance of bringing the Vatican nearer to the Armenian Church by way of the japanese faith outreach, (the go to) can also be, in some methods, selling Armenia-Turkish normalization,” Giragosian mentioned.

Leo arrived in Turkey on Thursday on his first international go to to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, now the city of Iznik, the place the united Christian Church agreed on a shared creed of religion. He was then scheduled to proceed to Lebanon.

Turkey and Armenia don’t have any formal diplomatic ties and their border has remained closed because the Nineteen Nineties. In 2021, the international locations agreed to work towards normalization, appointing particular envoys to discover steps towards reconciliation and reopening the frontier.

These talks have progressed in parallel with efforts to ease tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a detailed Turkish ally. Turkey supported Azerbaijan throughout its 2020 battle with Armenia for management of the Karabakh area, recognized internationally as Nagorno-Karabakh, a battle that had lasted almost 4 a long time.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Turkey in June for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He later advised a bunch of Turkish journalists in Yerevan that pursuing worldwide recognition of the genocide shouldn’t be amongst his authorities’s priorities, whereas emphasizing the genocide is an “proven fact” for Armenians.

Leo shouldn’t be anticipated to press for the formal recognition of genocide.

“That’s not a part of the normalization engagement. So it’s fairly clear that he’ll keep away from both the phrase or the reference,” Giragosian mentioned.

On Sunday, Leo will arrive on the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral for a service steeped within the church’s traditions, with some 500 Armenian worshipers in attendance, mentioned Garo Vram Babayan, spokesman for the Armenian patriarchate in Istanbul.

The go to will start with prayers, adopted by speeches from the pope and Istanbul-based Patriarch Sahak II. The 2 will alternate presents earlier than stepping outdoors for a quick dedication ceremony, the place Leo will unveil a marble stone in his honor.

Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI all visited the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral throughout their respective visits to Istanbul.

Leo’s go to is certainly one of a number of encounters in Turkey and Lebanon with the Armenian Christian devoted in a recognition of its deep roots within the area, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni mentioned.

“Clearly, the Armenian presence in Istanbul is an historic one, a deeply rooted presence, a presence that can also be evident in all of the conferences held over the varied days,” he advised reporters.

Leo spent his youth in Chicago, the place he would have interacted with immigrant communities together with Armenian Individuals, Giragosian mentioned.

Vercihan Ziflioglu, an Istanbul-based journalist and creator of Armenian descent, additionally mentioned the pope’s go to to Turkey was essential by way of highlighting the nation’s Christian previous. Regardless of Francis’ recognition of the genocide, Leo was not anticipated to repeat the time period, she mentioned.

“Throughout this journey, particularly at such a stage — when there are developments geared toward ‘normalization’ between Turkey and Armenia — I completely don’t assume he’ll emphasize such a delicate concern,” Ziflioglu mentioned.

In Armenia, Armen Arshakyan, 65, mentioned he did not imagine the pope’s go to would alter Turkey’s insurance policies, however was nonetheless a constructive step that honors Armenians.

“It honors us and reminds the world about Armenians, who’re at the moment in a slightly troublesome scenario,” he mentioned.

One other Yerevan resident, 31-year-old Maria Petrosyan, mentioned Leo’s go to to the Armenian church “can’t be of nice world significance” however acknowledged she values the pontiff sustaining dialogue with completely different church buildings.

Archimandrite Barouyr Shernezian, the dean of the Armenian Theological Seminary of the Catholicosate in Lebanon, additionally welcomed Leo’s go to, saying it could present Turkey is a part of the heritage of many historic Christian denominations, together with the Armenian Church.

The go to to the Armenian Cathedral in Istanbul comes throughout ongoing pressure within the Caucasus, together with between Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church. The tensions have simmered since April 2024, when 1000’s of protesters led by distinguished clerics demanded Pashinyan’s ouster for his efforts to normalize ties with Azerbaijan.

In response, Armenian authorities arrested quite a few clerics, accusing them of calling for an overthrow of the federal government and coercing folks into collaborating in rallies. Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, who was arrested in June, was sentenced to 2 years in jail after being discovered responsible of calling for a authorities overthrow.

Earlier this yr, the Vatican and Azerbaijan signed a cooperation settlement on interfaith dialogue, which upset some Armenians. Bruni declined to touch upon latest Armenian complaints in regards to the Vatican’s more and more shut relations with Azerbaijan.

The settlement adopted a convention at a Pontifical college in April co-organized by the Azerbaijani authorities that outraged Armenian Christian and civic teams, which accused Azerbaijan of rewriting historical past in regards to the Armenian presence within the area.

The Vatican, in the meantime, is engaged in “behind the scenes” diplomacy to assist with the discharge of Armenian prisoners and detainees held in Azerbaijan, Giragosian mentioned. Armenian officers and media have reported 23 Armenian prisoners are being held in Baku.

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Nicole Winfield in Rome, Dasha Litvinova and Yuras Kamanau in Tallinn, Estonia, Narek Aleksanyan in Yerevan, Armenia, and Ali Sharafeddine in Beirut contributed.