Turkey’s first lady, Emine Erdoğan, met with Pope Leo XIV in a private audience at the Vatican on Wednesday, promoting interfaith dialogue and urging support for a ceasefire in Gaza and the recognition of Palestinian statehood, according to Turkish media reports.
Erdoğan also detailed Turkey’s environmental efforts and called for international cooperation on family values and combating Islamophobia.
The meeting comes amid growing criticism of Turkey’s treatment of religious minorities. Rights monitors report that Christians in Turkey face legal, institutional and societal discrimination. Despite official rhetoric promoting tolerance, access to places of worship remains limited, foreign clergy face entry bans and converts from Islam experience social and familial pressure.
Recent findings from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance and Open Doors all point to deteriorating conditions. Christian communities continue to encounter obstacles such as denial of building permits, bureaucratic delays and hostility in public discourse.
While the Vatican praised Turkey’s role in promoting dialogue, critics say the country’s domestic record stands in sharp contrast to the message conveyed during the visit. Christian minorities remain unrecognized beyond the three communities protected under the Treaty of Lausanne, and state institutions continue to favor Sunni Islam in law, education and media.
During my visit to the Vatican for the "Fraternal Economy Session on Ethical Multilateralism" programme hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, I had the honour of meeting His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the Spiritual Leader of the Catholic World and Head of the Vatican…
— Emine Erdoğan (@EmineErdogan) July 2, 2025
Pope Leo XIV told Erdoğan that he plans to visit Turkey at the end of November, with officials from both sides currently working on the details, according to the Turkish presidency.