Pope Leo XIV warns of ‘fragmented world war’ on historic first overseas mission

Making his diplomatic debut in Türkiye, the first American Pope warned a "piecemeal" World War III endangers humanity. Leo XIV met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed on Thursday (27 November), urging an end to global conflicts.

The Pontiff lamented on his first historic overseas tour that the world is witnessing an unprecedented surge in bloody conflicts, warning that a third world war is being "fought piecemeal" with the future of humanity hanging in the balance.

In a closely watched diplomatic debut for the 70-year-old, Leo arrived in Türkiye to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea—a foundational moment for Christian unity. However, he also urged for global peace when he spoke to political leaders at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.

In his first speech given overseas since his election in May Leo said "ambitions and choices that trample on justice and peace" were destabilising the world.

"We are experiencing a heightened level of conflict on the global level, fuelled by prevailing strategies of economic and military power," Leo told the assembly, which included Erdoğan.

"We must in no way give in to this. The future of humanity is at stake."

Delicate geopolitical balance

The trip serves as a litmus test for Leo’s diplomatic neutrality. As the first U.S. citizen to lead the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church, he faces the unique challenge of distancing the Holy See’s foreign policy from Washington's interests.

His choice of Türkiye—a NATO member with a complex relationship with the West and a key broker in regional conflicts—signifies a desire to assert the Vatican’s independence early in his papacy.

Speaking before the Pope, President Erdoğan praised Leo’s "astute stance" on the Palestinian issue, a signal that Ankara views the new pontiff as a potential partner in stabilising the region despite his American nationality. In September, Leo met Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the Vatican, where he raised the "tragic situation" in Gaza, attempting to walk a fine line between the warring parties.

1,700 years of history

While the headlines are dominated by modern war, the spiritual core of the trip is deeply historical. The visit was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD), held in present-day Iznik. That council produced the Nicene Creed, the statement of faith that still binds Catholics, Orthodox, and many Protestant denominations together.

On Friday (28 November), Leo will travel to Iznik alongside Patriarch Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world's 260 million Orthodox Christians. The meeting is viewed by theologians as a critical step in healing the Great Schism of 1054, which split Christianity between East and West.

"It is symbolic that an American Pope and a Turkish-born Patriarch are meeting at the birthplace of Christian dogma to plead for peace," said Massimo Faggioli, an expert on Vatican affairs.

"It frames the Church not as a Western institution, but a global bridge."

Continuity and change

Leo was elected in May 2025 to succeed Pope Francis, who died earlier in the year after a transformative 12-year pontificate. A relative unknown on the global stage, Leo spent decades as a missionary in the Peruvian Amazon before a brief stint as a Vatican official beginning in 2023.

By adopting Francis’s rhetoric regarding a "piecemeal third world war," Leo is signalling continuity with his predecessor's focus on the Global South and the peripheries of conflict, rather than a retreat to Euro-centric conservatism.

On the flight from Rome, Leo emphasised this universal approach.

"We hope to invite all people to come together, to search for greater unity," he told reporters.

In a nod to his heritage, journalists on the papal plane presented the Pope with pumpkin pies to mark the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, which coincided with his arrival.

High stakes in Lebanon

Following his three days in Türkiye, the Pope will head to Lebanon on Sunday, a leg of the trip fraught with security risks.

Lebanon, home to the Middle East's largest percentage of Christians, remains in a precarious state following the spillover of the Gaza conflict. Tensions spiked last Sunday after an Israeli airstrike killed a top Hezbollah military official in Beirut, threatening to shatter a fragile, year-long U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed that "necessary security precautions" are in place.

For the Lebanese leadership, struggling with a collapsed economy and hosting more than a million refugees, the Pope’s presence is a desperate bid to keep global attention on their plight. Observers note that Leo’s background as a missionary in developing nations may make him particularly effective in addressing Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis, potentially overshadowing the political volatility of his visit.

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