Pope Leo is visiting Türkiye – a country I call home and to which I have taken many Christian students to explore our shared religious history. Of course, Nicea (modern day Iznik) is a must visit destination in that regard. At first, Christian students seem a bit disappointed that the site which features large in the history of Christianity is so small. There are other aspects surprising them too. In the spirit of advancing present-day Christian-Muslim understanding, let me therefore excavate a few insights for those who have not yet visited this important place: 

Christian-Muslim heritage: The Hagia Sophia of İznik tells a story shared by Christians and Muslims. It was a Byzantine basilica which today serves as a place of prayer for Muslims while still honoring its Christian past. Ottoman restorers protected the walls, repaired collapsed sections, added a prayer niche (mihrab) and a pulpit (minbar) – two standard elements of a mosque – but allowed much of the earlier architecture to remain visible. This coexistence of architectural and spiritual layers offers a natural setting for dialogue—showing that the same walls have held centuries of worship in both traditions. This continuity shows a respect for the sacredness of the place, even after the community’s faith identity shifted. It becomes a powerful example of Islamic stewardship of a Christian heritage site—an important aspect for Muslim-Christian understanding. I explain here to Christian students how this place reminds me of Prophet Muhammad’s early example in how he welcomed a Christian delegation from Najran in Southern Arabia into his mosque in Medina. Both communities exchanged their theological convictions regarding Jesus and Mary and listened to each other with respect and civility. Finally, Christians offered their prayers in that same mosque and ultimately departed without agreement. These are stories of holy encounter that need to be told and known more. For me such efforts express the Qur’anic mandate to preserve churches, monasteries and synagogues while still holding to your own beliefs: “Those who have been driven unjustly from their homes only for saying, ‘Our Lord is God.’ If God did not repel some people by means of others, many monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, where God’s name is much invoked, would have been destroyed. God is sure to help those who help His cause – God is truly All-Powerful and Almighty.” This passage establishes the divine principle of protecting all places of worship where God’s name is mentioned, emphasizing that this is a Muslim duty. The verse underpins the Islamic legal tradition of safeguarding the religious freedom of non-Muslims in Muslim lands. Historically, figures like Caliph Umar exemplified this protection by ensuring the security of Christian churches and their communities after the conquest of Jerusalem.

Preservation of Christian Houses of Worship: The early Ottoman period was not a paradise of equality. New church construction was restricted but was not impossible. Special permission had to be granted. Yet, in the context of its time it was still remarkable how established church structures were preserved. Conversions of major churches to mosques did occur like the great Hagia Sophia in Istanbul but many local churches continued to operate. Across 600 years and three continents, the Ottoman Empire saw the construction or reconstruction of thousands of churches. The largest wave of church-building occurred in the 18th and especially the 19th century under the so-called Tanzimat reforms, when Christian communities enjoyed greater freedom and prosperity.  

Christian-Muslim Coexistence: Christians and Muslims – as this place demonstrates – have lived mostly amicably here for centuries. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1922) developed a system in which religious communities generally coexisted with relative stability. Christians and Jews were organized into millets: They had their own religious leaders, they ran their own schools and courts for personal-status matters, and established their own charities. They were generally free to practice their faith openly. This gave religious minorities a structured, predictable place in Ottoman society. One important Muslim figure of this era is Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, who early on approached Christian communities to collaborate and cooperate with Muslims for the common good. 

Türkiye is a country which expresses the beautiful influences of the East and the West, Islam and modernity and hence matches my profile. It is a country that best reflects my own personal engagement with the sacred and the secular and my interest in Christian-Muslim relations. Regrettably, this shared history – as complicated as it may be – is not taught sufficiently in our educational institutions. As a result we suffer from historical amnesia. One of the aims in our Fellowship for Teachers is to revive that history in which all voices and perspectives are heard and make them more visible in the classroom and beyond. Our rich and sacred past can inform our present and hopefully shape a positive outlook for a shared future in which all our communities can grow and thrive together. 

An adapted version was published on Religion News Service and National Catholic Reporter

The German translation appeared on Kohero-Magazin