President of Religious Affairs Erbaş meets Pope Francis in Vatican City

Following his meeting with the Pope, President Erbaş made statements to the press at the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye to the Holy See.

Stating that they had visited Italy to hold the general assembly of the Turkish Islamic Foundation for Religious Affairs, which was established to provide religious services to thousands of citizens in Italy, President Erbaş said that they had a fruitful meeting with the Pope.

"Lasting peace in the Middle East is not possible without a just settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict"

President Erbaş spoke as follows:

“During this meeting, we presented to Pope Francis the letter of our President, which carries messages on the important issues on the agenda of the world and especially on the developments in Palestine. In their letter, our President stated that lasting peace and stability in the Middle East will not be possible without a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli issue. In their letter, they also conveyed the message that it is essential that an independent, sovereign and geographically united Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital within the 1967 borders is established and takes its place in the global system as an equal member of the international community."

“We are facing a situation where everyone is being slaughtered”

President Erbaş stated that the main centre of his meetings with the Pope was the murders, massacres and crimes against humanity committed by Israel in Palestine:

"We are facing a situation where Al-Quds, which is the symbol of peace and coexistence, is under Israeli oppression, where everyone is massacred without saying Muslim-Christian, without considering babies, children, innocents, mosques and churches, and where everyone is massacred without saying children-elderly-patients-women. We expressed the need to work together to put an end to this situation and to draw more attention of the world to Palestine, Gaza and to stop the Israeli oppression. Pope Francis emphasised that President Erdoğan is one of the few leaders who has the power and works hard for world peace. For this reason, he asked us to convey his personal greetings to him and said, 'I thank you very much for what he has done'."

A message of thanks to President Erdoğan

President Erbaş stated that the institution of family was also on the agenda during their bilateral meeting and said, "We had consultations on the importance of family and the factors that threaten the family. We also shared our thoughts on the environment, our world, which is entrusted to us and is the home of all of us. In this regard, we consulted with him on what can be done to protect the environment, protect the family and protect the world. The Pope emphasised that there is a lot of work to be done on these issues and thanked our President for his work and efforts for world peace."

Pointing out the importance of the visit, President Erbaş used the following words "It is very important that the attention of all humanity should be drawn again to end the bloodshed, persecution, massacre and genocide in Gaza and that everyone should be mobilised to ensure an urgent ceasefire as soon as possible, and that every authority should do something about it."

In response to a question about whether the tension between Iran and Israel was discussed, President Erbaş said, "We did not go into much detail about these issues, but we centred on the realisation of peace in the world and especially the stopping of the massacre in Gaza as soon as possible."

President Erdoğan’s letter

"Your Holiness Pope Francis,

On the occasion of your reception of the President of Religious Affairs, I would like to convey my respect and affection.

I am pleased to witness that the historically deep relations between Türkiye and the Holy See are increasingly gaining momentum.

Türkiye, while supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, with its motto of humanitarian diplomacy, has also been, and continues to be, at the forefront in the defence of the right to life of the innocent Palestinian civilians and their just cause.

Türkiye has become the second country providing the most aid to Gaza, with nearly 45,000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies since October 7, 2023. The treatment of 429 sick and wounded Gazans, including Christians, with 450 persons accompanying them, continues in Türkiye.

Humanity, which is aware of the fact that killing is forbidden by all celestial religions, must no longer allow international law and international humanitarian law to be trampled on in Gaza. It must raise its voice against the deliberate bombing of hospitals, schools, mosques and churches that should not be violated, even in war time.

It is impossible to establish lasting peace and stability in the Middle East without a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. An independent, sovereign and geographically integrated Palestinian State within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, must emerge and take its place in the global system as an equal member of the international community.

Your Holiness Pope Francis, the Spiritual Leader of the Catholic World,

The challenges that we face, particularly the indiscriminate Israeli attacks in Gaza, where deaths by starvation occur due to the failure to deliver humanitarian aid even during the holy month of Ramadan, and the global impact of the Ukraine War, which is now in its third year, require the international community to act in cooperation and coordination.

Considering the recent trends that threaten inter-communal peace and stability, such as Islamophobia, racism and xenophobia, which are spreading worldwide, our world, more than ever in history, needs inclusive and rational policies, as well as actors who can hold a dialogue with all the parties, under all circumstances.

With this mindset, we are determined to further develop our dialogue and cooperation with the Holy See to promote a culture of peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding, on the basis of our common human values and our aim to serve world peace.

I avail myself of this opportunity to reiterate my sincere wishes for Your Holiness' health and prosperity, on behalf of my People and myself."