As Pope Leo XIV visits Turkey this week, Christian communities say they still face exclusion and unequal treatment despite pockets of progress in recent years.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan frequently highlights that “99 percent of Turkey’s population is Muslim,” a remark that leaves many non-Muslims feeling erased.
Yuhanna Aktas, president of the Assyrian Union, said the statement reinforces a sense of marginalisation: “We are not seen as full citizens.”
Shrinking Community, Slow Progress
Historians estimate roughly 100,000 Christians remain in Turkey today—down from nearly four million in the early 20th century, following expulsions, massacres, and migration during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
During his trip, Pope Leo XIV will meet Christian leaders at the Assyrian Orthodox Mor Ephrem Church in Istanbul, inaugurated only two years ago. It remains the first and only new church built in Turkey since the republic was established in 1923.
Despite no legal restrictions, Christians struggle for representation in public institutions.
“The only non-Muslim senior official today is a local administrator from the Armenian community,” noted Yetvart Danzikyan of the Armenian weekly Agos.
History of Suspicion and Violence
For decades, Christians and Jews were branded by some officials and media as “the enemies inside,” leading to discrimination and periodic violence. The word Armenian is still sometimes used as an insult.
According to the Minority Rights Group’s 2024 report, discrimination persists because some promoters of Turkish nationalism view non-Muslims as incapable of full Turkish identity.
Still, activists say the government has tried correcting past injustices over the last two decades.
Laki Vingas of the Greek community group Rumvader said, “The process is not complete, but at least we can engage the authorities.”
Yet concerns remain. The rise of conservative nationalism, the 2020 killing inside a Catholic church, the murder of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in 2007, and the 2020 conversion of Hagia Sophia from a museum back to a mosque have all heightened anxiety.
A Society Opening Slowly
There are signs of change. Turks are increasingly open to discussing sensitive historical issues, including the Armenian genocide—which Ankara rejects—despite restrictions on public commemorations.
“More people are questioning old prejudices,” Vingas said, noting that Istanbul, where most Christians live, has become more receptive.
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