Jean-Marc Balham, Belgian Jesuit, expert in Christian-Muslim relations, currently living in Ankara (Türkiye), followed very closely and was present in the main events of Pope Leo's recent visit to this country. We’ve asked him to share with us his impressions in this article: The Pope chose Turkey as the destination for his first apostolic journey outside Italy because, like each of his predecessors since the restoration of relations with the Orthodox 60 years ago under Paul VI, he wished to visit the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at the beginning of his pontificate, on the feast of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of this Church, to consolidate the bonds that unite us. During his brief stay, he also met with the Armenian and Syriac communities, which make up the majority of local Christians, as well as representatives of other Christian denominations immediately after a spiritual visit to the Blue Mosque in the company of local Muslim authorities. The ecumenical dimension of this trip was reinforced this time by the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, where the foundations of the profession of faith common to all Christians were laid, at the very site of the council. Representatives of many Churches gathered there. While some were missing, it is to be hoped that in 2033, all will be able to be present in Jerusalem where, as the Pope told journalists on the plane taking him to Lebanon for the second stage of his apostolic journey, he would like to be able to celebrate two millennia since the Redemption, an event that reduces the petty aspects of ecclesiastical politics that divide us, to nothing. The Pope also met with the local Catholic Church in all its diversity: bishops and pastoral workers, some refugees and elderly people, and above all the Catholic communities of the country (and representatives of other denominations) during a Eucharistic celebration that brought together 4,000 people in a stadium in Istanbul. This was the first time such a celebration had taken place in such a venue: it allowed the local Church to celebrate ‘in full view of one another’ for the first time, without being constrained by the limited space of a place of worship. For this community, this Mass seemed like a prelude to the gathering on the Mountain of the Lord mentioned in the first reading. All this was made possible by the active participation (logistical and financial) of the Turkish authorities, whom the Pope met in Ankara at the beginning of his stay. Currently, relations between the Vatican and Turkey are relatively good, thanks in part to their collaboration in the search for peace in the region. The logo of the papal trip to Turkey represented a bridge, like the one over the Dardanelles Strait: it was this vocation that the sovereign ‘Pontiff’ (“pontifex”, literally ‘bridge builder’) wanted to live out during his stay and to which he called Turkey during his official speech to the authorities: to be a bridge ‘with itself’, between the different elements of its own diversity, and externally, in a region shaken by conflict. Fr. Jean-Marc Balhan, SJ

From December 4th to December 6th, the JCEP Consult had one of its meetings in the Jesuit community of Ankara, Türkiye. The JCEP Socius and the three Assistancies moderators had arrived earlier, on December 2nd, in Istanbul. There, they had the opportunity to visit the city and the main Catholic Church presences, guided by Jean-Marc Balhan SJ, the community superior. The JCEP President, Dalibor Renić, traveled directly to the Consult in Ankara and stayed with the community for a few extra days to conduct the canonical visitation. The Consult agenda included time dedicated to planning the next steps in the apostolic planning process (Francisco José Ruiz joined this section via videoconference), an evaluation of the last JCEP General Assembly in Rome and the questions raised there, and updates on the drafting of the new Guidelines for Formation and Guidelines for Formation in the Digital Age. The group also reflected on possibly drafting updated guidelines for the Conference's Eurogroups, and discussed the later developments of the Youth Adult Ministry group. A significant part of the meeting involved a dialogue about the future horizon of the Jesuit presence in Ankara and a conversation about the content and timing of the upcoming General Assemblies and Consults. Beyond the working aspects of the visit, the days in Ankara allowed all consultors to discover Türkiye, a vast country marked by strong social, economic, and cultural dynamism that must be considered in any reflection on the mission in Europe. It was also an occasion to witness the beautiful mission of the small Jesuit community in Ankara—a mission that includes practicing interreligious dialogue with Islam, tending to the growing nascent Church in the country, and collaborating with other religious orders and the nascent local Church. In the final reflections upon concluding the JCEP Consult, all consultors expressed their deep consolation for having been able to directly witness such a missionary reality located on a true frontier. The common feeling among all participants was that here in Ankara, one truly feels like a Jesuit. Our prayers remain with the Jesuits of the Ankara community—Jean-Marc Balhan, Alexis Doucet, Michael Mcguckian, and Changmo Cho (currently in Tertianship in Bikfaya)—with the desire that these lines help everyone to acknowledge the terrific work they are doing.

Fr. Alexis Doucet is at the service of the Turkish-speaking Christian community in Ankara. In spite of the Covid which has strongly affected the level of religious practice of many of the Christians in the region, he continues to receive "masked" many curious people and he spends a certain amount of time responding to the many messages he receives via social networks. Fr. Alexis Doucet and Pope Francis For the last 8 months, the elderly and frail people have stopped coming to church, only the young and the most "motivated" have been coming. Masses with an audience were interrupted in the spring. They have since resumed, as has the Christian formation of pre-catechumens and catechumens, which is partly done by skype or zoom. He recounts that in September he celebrated two funerals connected with Covid, which were held directly at the cemetery without assistance, and that it was particularly sad, reflecting the general situation in the world. On the other hand, Father Doucet spends his time writing, first of all the Miras, a Turkish Christian spirituality magazine. Miras is a collaboration. The Society supports the magazine financially, thanks to those who give to the Society. He writes articles on subjects as varied as happiness, healing, persecutions, prayer, spiritual warfare, Christmas... He discovers the joys and sorrows of working with the Turks but also with the evangelical Protestant world. He is currently finishing the rewriting in Turkish of Tom Michel's book "Introduction to Christendom". He is also preparing a small book in Turkish on Christian mysticism. Remarkably, he is very active on the internet to offer quality Christian "content" in Turkish (Wikipedia, Daily Gopel in its Turkish version...).

Fr. Paolo Bizzeti, Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia Fr. General Arturo Sosa has entrusted the responsibility for the mission of the Society of Jesus in Turkey to the Conference of European Provincials (JCEP) and thus to Father Franck Janin as Major Superior. This regulation is initially valid for three years from April 1, 2019 ad experimentum. In a letter of 11.02.2019 Fr. General points out that Pope Francis, who in 2015 appointed Fr. Paolo Bizzeti a Jesuit as Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia, insists that the Order continue its mission in this country. After the territorial expansion (North Africa, the Holy Land and Jordan), the Middle East Province alone was no longer able to do so. In October Father General had invited to a meeting in the Curia in which 19 Jesuits participated, among them Father Franck Janin and several Provincials. Father Franck Janin thanked Father Dany Younès and the Middle East Province for their commitment so far and called the decision an "important step" for the Provincial Conference after the responsibility for the community and works in Brussels and the European Tertianship in Dublin. "I truly hope that together we will be able to meet the challenges of society's presence in this region. Let us pray for our two companions who currently live in Ankara".