By Dennis Gorecho
ISTANBUL, Türkiye — My recent visit to Türkiye, a predominantly Muslim nation, reminded me of Pope Leo XIV’s message about the Gospel’s “logic of littleness.”
The pope visited Türkiye in November 2025, where Christians — estimated at only 25,000 to 36,000 people — account for approximately 0.05 percent of the country’s total population. The Christian community is primarily concentrated in Istanbul and consists of a diverse mix of Latin Rite expatriates and Levantines, Eastern Rite Catholics (Chaldean, Armenian and Syriac), and a growing number of ethnic Turkish converts.
Türkiye is overwhelmingly Muslim, with more than 98 percent of its population identifying with Islam. Despite this, the country remains constitutionally secular, with no official state religion, and guarantees freedom of religion and conscience for all citizens.
The nation also has a rich Christian heritage dating back to the earliest centuries of the faith. It was the setting of Abraham’s journey through Harran, the home of early Christian communities in Antioch and Ephesus, and the center of the long and influential history of Byzantine Christianity.
It is likewise the region where Saint Paul was born, where Saint John and the Virgin Mary are believed to have lived — the House of the Virgin Mary near Ephesus — and where the first seven ecumenical councils of the Church were convened.
During his visit, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Türkiye’s small Catholic community to rediscover what he described as the Gospel’s “logic of littleness.” He urged them not to be discouraged by their small numbers but instead to recognize the strength of authentic Christian witness.
The pope emphasized that the Church’s true strength does not come from numbers, wealth, influence, or political power, but from humble service, quiet witness and fidelity to Christ.
“When we look with God’s eyes, we discover that he has chosen the way of littleness,” he said, adding that the Church’s true strength “does not lie in her resources or structures nor in numbers or influence, but in remaining gathered around Christ and sent by the Holy Spirit.”
Pope Leo XIV is not the first pontiff to visit Istanbul. Four of his predecessors also made the journey: Pope Paul VI in 1967, Pope John Paul II in 1979, Pope Benedict XVI in 2006, and Pope Francis in 2014. Earlier still, Archbishop Angelo Roncalli — who later became Pope John XXIII — served as Apostolic Delegate to Türkiye and Greece from 1935 to 1944.
During my stay, I prayed at the Church of St. Anthony of Padua on Istanbul’s famous İstiklal Avenue, where Pope St. John XXIII preached and served during his years in the city. It remains the largest Roman Catholic church in Istanbul.
The church was one of three Levantine parishes in Beyoğlu, alongside St. Mary Draperis on İstiklal Avenue and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Galata.
Despite its small size, the Catholic Church in Türkiye maintains a vibrant presence through pastoral outreach to refugees and vulnerable communities. Around 50 parishes and mission stations operate across the country, served by roughly 100 priests and supported by religious sisters who manage schools, hospitals and care homes.
I also visited the magnificent Hagia Sophia, formally known as the Temple of Holy Wisdom, one of Istanbul’s most remarkable architectural and historical treasures.
Originally built as a Byzantine cathedral in A.D. 537, Hagia Sophia was converted into an imperial mosque in 1453 following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. It later served as a museum beginning in 1935 before being reclassified as a mosque in 2020.
As a Byzantine cathedral from 537 to 1453, Hagia Sophia stood as the largest cathedral in Christendom for nearly a millennium and profoundly influenced both Eastern Orthodox and Ottoman architecture.
Its breathtaking Byzantine mosaics are masterpieces of Christian art, depicting Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, and other sacred figures. These images were painstakingly created from millions of colored glass and gold tiles.
When Hagia Sophia was transformed into a mosque in 1453, many of these mosaics were not destroyed but were instead covered with plaster and whitewash. Ironically, this preserved the artworks for centuries and allowed future generations to appreciate their beauty.
According to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), more than 3,000 Filipinos currently reside in Türkiye. They include service workers, students, professionals, and Filipinos married to Turkish nationals.
Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Türkiye were formally established through the Treaty of Friendship signed on June 13, 1949.
The DFA notes that “the bilateral ties have seen a significant growth in a wide range of areas, most notably in the fields of defense, trade and investment, development cooperation and people-to-people linkages in tourism, culture and education.”
Bilateral trade between the Philippines and Türkiye reached approximately $365 million in 2025.
Philippine exports to Türkiye include tropical fruits, coconut products, electrical machinery, textiles, and charcoal. Meanwhile, Turkish exports to the Philippines consist of defense equipment, including helicopters, pharmaceuticals, tobacco products, poultry, and chemicals.
Jaime Ramon Ascalon, Jr. currently serves as the Philippine Ambassador to Türkiye.
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Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho is the junior partner who heads the Seafarers’ Division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com or call 0908-866-5786./WDJ