Hagia Sophia was built in AD 537 during the reign of Justinian I, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire; it was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time.
(Credit : Arild Vågen, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)
Türkiye is a secular state with no official religion, following the constitutional amendment of 1924. While Türkiye is 99% Muslim, Christianity and Judaism are also present in the country.
As Christianity is a minority in the country, numbers have been reported around 100,000 divided into different denominations: Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and Assyrian-Chaldean.
Historical Significance
Turkey is often referred to as a "cradle of early Christianity". It hosted the first seven Ecumenical Councils, including those in Nicaea (Iznik), Constantinople (Istanbul), and Ephesus. While many ancient churches like the Hagia Sophia have been converted into mosques or museums, active parishes continue to maintain a presence, often supported by diverse international congregations from Africa and Asia alongside the historical Levantine community.
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church in Turkey is a small but historically significant community, representing roughly 0.05% of the population with approximately 33,000 to 35,000 faithful as of 2026. While Turkey is a Muslim-majority country, it is home to deep Christian roots and active Catholic parishes across several rites, including Latin, Armenian, Chaldean, and Byzantine.
Papa visits
Pope Leo XIV recently visited Turkey in November 2025. Four of his predecessors have also made the journey: Paul VI in 1967, John Paul II in 1979, Benedict XVI in 2006, and Francis in 2014; while Archbishop Angelo Roncalli—who later became Pope John XXIII—served in Istanbul as Apostolic Delegate to Türkiye and Greece from 1935 to 1944.
Watch EWTN's documentary on Catholic LIfe in Turkiye
Article by Catholic Time Staff
Related reading :
- Inside Pope Leo’s First Apostolic Trip to Turkey and Lebanon
- The History of the Nicene Creed | Pope Leo's Apostolic Journey
- Turkey: Where Christianity Was Shaped | The Land of the Ecumenical Councils
- The First Nicene Council of AD 325: Uniting the Early Church | Church Councils
- Christian Life in Turkey
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