ON BOARD THE PAPAL PLANE – In a brief greeting to the press after departing Rome for his debut international trip Thursday, Pope Leo wished journalists on board a Happy Thanksgiving and received gifts of pumpkin and pecan pie.
After history’s first American pope set off for Turkey on “Turkey Day,” he wished Americans on board a happy Thanksgiving and thanked the more than 80 journalists flying with him for their work, urging them to convey a message of peace and unity.
“Good morning, everyone! To the Americans here, happy Thanksgiving!” he said enroute to Ankara, saying the traditional American holiday is “a wonderful day to celebrate.”
“I want to begin by saying thank you to each and every one of you for the service that you offer to the Vatican, to the Holy See, to my person, but to the whole world,” he said, stressing the importance of communicating “in a way that really reveals the truth and the harmony that the world needs.”
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He noted that the Nov. 27 – Dec. 2 trip to Turkey and Lebanon has at its core “the very meaning of unity,” as the stop in Turkey is primarily an ecumenical visit to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which took place in what is now Iznik in 325.
“I very much have been looking forward to this trip because of what it means to all Christians, but also a great message to the whole world,” Leo said, saying that together with the local church he hopes to “announce, transmit and proclaim how important peace is throughout the world.”
Leo also issued an invitation for all people “to come together, to search for greater unity, greater harmony, and to look for the ways that all men and women can really be brothers and sisters in spite of differences, in spite of different religions, in spite of different beliefs.”
“We are all brothers and sisters, and to hopefully be a part of promoting peace and unity throughout the world,” he said, thanking the press for their work, and “for being part of this historic moment.”
Pope Leo then greeted each journalist traveling on board the ITA Airways flight individually, and received several gifts, including a small pumpkin pie and a larger pumpkin pie. When told the larger one was meant to share, the pontiff quipped back that, “I’ll share some.” He was also given a pecan pie.
The pope also received a plaque in recognition of donations the Vatican had provided to war relief efforts in Kherson, Ukraine, and several sports items, including a pair of White Sox socks, and a baseball bat used by legendary White Sox player Nellie Fox.
Having previously told American youth during a virtual question-and-answer session that he uses a different start word for his Woordle puzzle every day, Leo also told journalists that on Thursday, he solved the puzzle in just three tries.
Pope Leo after landing in Ankara will meet with Turkey’s president and prime minister, the head of Turkey’s religious affairs office, the Diyanet, as well as national civil authorities and members of the diplomatic corps, before making his way to Istanbul.
