SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Pope Leo XIV has started the first foreign trip of his papacy traveling to the Middle East. Today in Turkey, he appealed for tolerance between different peoples and religions. He called for harmony and unity in the world and said that in these polarized times, the very future of humanity was at stake. NPR's Ruth Sherlock is traveling on the plane with the first American Pope and takes us through the first day of Leo's trip.
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RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE: A little after we took off from Rome, Pope Leo XIV came to the back of the plane to greet us, the journalists on board.
POPE LEO XIV: Bonjourno a tutti. To the Americans here, happy Thanksgiving. It's a wonderful day to celebrate.
SHERLOCK: Meeting over 80 journalists from at least 15 different countries who are watching your every expression and word might seem daunting. But Leo, who was chosen for the papacy in May this year, seemed to take it in his stride. He greeted each journalist one by one.
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SHERLOCK: It's a pleasure to meet you, Holy Father. I'm Ruth Sherlock from NPR. I hope you have a good Thanksgiving.
LEO XIV: Thank you.
SHERLOCK: He smiled warmly and said little, though he did reveal that he'd managed to complete The New York Times Wordle puzzle in three tries before boarding the plane early this morning. Some journalists gave him gifts, including on this Thanksgiving day, at least two pumpkin pies.
In Ankara, we arrive at the vast presidential palace complex, its walls painted in gold and sage and with rows of guards in white hats and turquoise long coats marching outside.
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SHERLOCK: The Pope is greeted in style, his car accompanied by a Turkish cavalry, riders on delicate, purebred horses trotting in perfect unison.
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SHERLOCK: A marching band plays as Pope Leo and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan walk side-by-side into the palace. For all the ceremony, the matters to be discussed here are substantial. President Erdogan has a complex relationship with Christians in this Muslim-majority country. For example, in 2020, Erdogan turned the Hagia Sophia heritage site, important for Christians and Muslims, into a mosque.
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PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP EROGAN: (Non-English language spoken).
SHERLOCK: In speeches at a grand library after their private discussion, Erdogan offered warm words for Pope Leo, praising his outspoken stance against civilians suffering in Gaza in Israel's more than two-year long offensive there. Pope Leo praised Turkey's rich history, culture and landscape.
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LEO XIV: The natural beauty of your country urges us to protect God's creation.
SHERLOCK: But he also had quite a direct message for Turkey's leader who's promoted Sunni Muslim identity as central to the modern Turkish national identity. Protect your minorities, Leo urged.
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LEO XIV: A society is alive if it has a plurality. For what makes it a civil society are the bridges that link its people together.
SHERLOCK: Across the world, Pope Leo said, human communities are increasingly polarized and torn apart by extreme positions that fragment them. The pope hopes this trip, with the warm welcome laid on by President Erdogan with marching bands and this singing group, is one way to again call for peace and unity.
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UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing) God is good all the time.
SHERLOCK: Ruth Sherlock, NPR News, Ankara. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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