Roncalli’s Turkey Mission: Diplomatic Syncretism Masquerading as Catholic Action
EWTN News (November 26, 2025) presents Angelo Roncalli’s 1935-1945 Turkish mission as model Catholic diplomacy, praising his adaptation to secular laws and interfaith outreach. The article celebrates his “unprecedented gesture” of meeting Orthodox patriarchs, compliance with Atatürk’s religious clothing ban, and introducing Turkish into liturgy as evidence of “building bridges of trust.” This hagiographic account culminates in calling him “the Turkish Pope” – a title revealing the heretical equating of papal office with nationalist pandering.