Pope Leo XIV met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and leaders of religious minority communities this week during his first foreign trip as head of the Roman Catholic Church. The visit included meetings in Istanbul, where representatives of minority foundations commented on changes regarding property rights and community life over the past two decades.
During his visit, the pontiff engaged in discussions with political officials and religious figures, including leaders from the country’s Christian communities. Turkiye’s population of over 80 million is predominantly Muslim, with small, long-established Greek, Armenian, Syriac, and Latin Christian communities.
Representatives of these communities described the pope’s visit as significant. “This is, first of all, a great honour for Turkiye,” Manolis Kostidis, vice president of the Greek Foundations Association, told Al Jazeera. “It’s also extremely important for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and for the Greek community.”
The visit occurs following a period of legal reforms affecting non-Muslim foundations in Turkiye. According to community representatives, legal changes beginning in the 2000s, partly linked to European Union harmonization packages, altered how minority foundations manage property. A 2011 government decree facilitated the return of properties that had been seized from these foundations under previous administrative and court rulings.
Can Ustabası, head of the Minority Foundations Representative Office, stated that approximately 1,250 properties were returned to minority foundations between 2003 and 2018 as a result of these reforms. “Erdogan’s instruction to ’return what rightfully belongs to them’ changed the attitude of every state body,” Ustabası said.
Kezban Hatemi, a lawyer who has advised minority foundations, described the changes as a “major reform” but noted that some legal cases related to property restitution are still pending. She said that prior to the reforms, foundations often faced significant bureaucratic hurdles for basic operations.
The historical context for these communities includes a substantial decline in their populations during the 20th century. Events cited by historians and community members as contributing factors include the 1942 Wealth Tax, the 1955 Istanbul pogrom, and the 1964 deportation of Greek citizens. Today, the minority population is estimated by Ustabası to be around 85,000. “We’re citizens of this country, but history brought us to this point,” he said.
Community leaders pointed to recent developments as signs of change. Ustabası noted a trend of Syriac Christians returning from Europe to the Tur Abdin region in southeastern Turkiye, a movement he connected to improved security conditions. Kostidis said the return of properties has had a non-material impact, stating, “It makes us feel like full citizens.”
Despite the reported progress, representatives said some issues remain, citing the legal framework for foundation board elections and unresolved property cases. Turkish-Armenian journalist Etyen Mahcupyan said the pace of reform has shifted since 2016 and suggested that momentum could be influenced by Turkiye’s relations with the EU.
Mahcupyan described Pope Leo XIV’s visit as having both political and symbolic dimensions. “Considering Turkiye’s foreign policy ambitions, this visit offers positive contributions,” he stated, adding that it helps ensure minority communities “are not forgotten.”
Kostidis shared a similar view on the visit’s message. “A Muslim-majority country hosting the leaders of the Christian world – you can’t give a more powerful message than this,” he said.
