Apostolic Journey or Apostasy? Leo XIV’s Homage to Secularism in Ankara
Vatican News reports that antipope Leo XIV began his visit to Turkey by paying homage at the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the secular Turkish Republic. The article frames this act as a diplomatic gesture honoring a “symbol of the nation’s birth, modernisation and secularism,” describing Atatürk as “revered” for establishing Turkey’s secular order. Leo XIV signed the memorial book at Anıtkabir, a site explicitly designed to enshrine the anti-religious principles of the Turkish state. The report concludes with a call for financial support to spread “the Pope’s words.”
Endorsing Apostate Secularism: A Violation of Christ’s Social Kingship
The ceremonial veneration of Atatürk—“the architect of Turkey’s de-Christianization” (Pius XI, Quas Primas)—constitutes formal cooperation with a regime that systematically persecuted Christians. Atatürk abolished the Caliphate not to liberate religious minorities, but to impose a Masonic-inspired secularism, banning Islamic courts (1924), outlawing religious education (1924), and replacing Sharia with Swiss civil code (1926). By honoring this figure, Leo XIV implicitly endorses the errare humanum, perseverare diabolicum (“to err is human, to persist is diabolical”) of state-enforced apostasy.
Pius XI’s encyclical Quas Primas (1925) condemns such acts unequivocally: “When once men recognize… that Christ has been given all power in heaven and on earth… it will be necessary that nations… conform their laws to the precepts of the Gospel” (§19). The article’s praise for Turkish secularism directly contradicts the Church’s perennial teaching that “the State, constituted as it is, is clearly bound to act up to the dictates of reason” (Leo XIII, Libertas §21) by submitting to Christ the King.
Theological Bankruptcy: Omission of the Supernatural
Nowhere does the article mention that Atatürk’s regime:
– Exiled Patriarch Constantine VI (1924) and confiscated 75% of Orthodox Church properties
– Forced all religious communities to register with the atheist state (1925)
– Replaced Arabic script with Latin alphabet (1928) to sever Turkey from its Islamic heritage
This silence mirrors the conciliar sect’s systematic erasure of martyrdom narratives. Compare with Pius XII’s 1951 address honoring Turkish martyrs: “The blood of these witnesses to the faith… cries out to heaven for vengeance against their persecutors.” Instead, Leo XIV offers what St. Augustine called “the kiss of Judas”—a betrayal disguised as fraternity.
Syllabus of Errors Revisited: Secularism Condemned
The act violates multiple condemned propositions from Pius IX’s Syllabus of Errors (1864):
– Error #55: “The Church ought to be separated from the State, and the State from the Church”
– Error #77: “In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State”
By treating Anıtkabir—a temple to these heresies—as worthy of veneration, Leo XIV commits the sin of communicatio in sacris (“sharing in sacred things”) with idolaters. The 1917 Code of Canon Law (Canon 1258) forbade Catholics even from “passive presence” at non-Catholic ceremonies to avoid scandal.
The Masonic Subtext: Atatürk’s Anti-Christian Legacy
Atatürk was a known Freemason, initiated in Macedonia’s Veritas Lodge (1907). His reforms implemented the Masonic plan outlined in Pike’s Morals and Dogma:
– Abolition of religious courts (1924)
– Forced unveiling of women (1925)
– Adoption of Gregorian calendar (1926) to desacralize time
Leo XIV’s homage continues the conciliar sect’s 60-year pattern: Bergoglio kissed the feet of South Sudanese dictators (2019), while Benedict XVI prayed in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque (2006). This fulfills Pius X’s warning: “The enemies of the Church… mask a most grave error, aimed… at the overthrow of the entire religious, social, and political order” (Pascendi Dominici Gregis §3).
Conclusion: A Pilgrimage to the Abomination of Desolation
When Antipope Paul VI laid flowers at Gandhi’s memorial (1964), he began the conciliar sect’s long march toward apostasy. Leo XIV’s Ankara stopover completes this trajectory by venerating a regime that:
– Illegally seized 1,600+ churches since 1923
– Forbade Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew from using his title “Ecumenical” (1971)
– Converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque (2020)
As St. John Eudes warned: “The greatest evil in the world… is the traitor within the Church”. Until true bishops reconsecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart—rejected by the conciliar sect since 1960—such sacrileges will multiply. Let the faithful recall Pius XI’s mandate: “When… civil authority refuses to bow before the name of Jesus… it is the Church’s duty to rebuke it with apostolic fortitude” (Quas Primas §25).
Source:
Pope Leo visits Atatürk Mausoleum in Ankara (vaticannews.va)
Date: 27.11.2025