Pope Francis on Thursday said he planned to visit Turkey's Iznik next year for the anniversary of the first council of the Christian Church, Italian newswire ANSA reported.
Pope Francis © Mena Today
Pope Francis on Thursday said he planned to visit Turkey's Iznik next year for the anniversary of the first council of the Christian Church, Italian newswire ANSA reported.
"During the Holy Year, we will also have the opportunity to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the first great Ecumenical Council, that of Nicaea. I plan to go there," the pontiff was quoted as saying in an off-the-cuff comment to a speech he gave to a theological committee.
The early centuries of Christianity were marked by lively debate about how Jesus could be both God and man, and the Church decided on the issue at the First Council of Nicaea - now known as Iznik - in 325.
Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro
Turkey wants no confrontation with Israel in Syria after repeated Israeli attacks on military sites there undermined the new government's ability to deter threats, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on Friday.
Turkish police have detained 11 people as part of an investigation into social media calls for an economic boycott backed by the opposition following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, state media reported on Thursday.
Israel stepped up airstrikes on Syria overnight, declaring the attacks a warning to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus as it accused their Turkish allies on Thursday of trying to turn the country into a Turkish protectorate.
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