For Father Andrew Hochstedler, Pope Leo’s visit to Turkey recalls his favourite childhood novels, the Chronicles of Narnia. For him, it is as if Aslan the lion is coming.
“Aslan in the book is a symbol for a Christ figure,” the parish priest at the St Anthony of Padua church told The National. “The Pope is the servant of all servants, he is the leader of the church. He's representing Christ on Earth. So there is that connection.”
Outside, the Holy See’s flag has been hoisted up the side of the 113-year-old church building, on the bustling Istiklal Avenue shopping street in central Istanbul. Inside, cards bearing Pope Leo’s face have been prepared with a prayer in Turkish for his visit.
This week, the leader of the world’s Catholics will head to Turkey and Lebanon, in his first overseas trip since his appointment in May following the death of Pope Francis. In Turkey, he will visit Istanbul's renowned Blue Mosque and make a stop in the city of Iznik, where in the year 325 a council of bishops created a bas
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