The Catholic Church in Turkey is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and the canonical leadership of the curia in Rome that is submitted to the Pope.
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The Catholic Church in Turkey is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and the canonical leadership of the curia in Rome that is submitted to the Pope.
In the 2000s, there are around 25,000 Roman Catholics,[1] constituting 0.05% of the population. The faithful follow the Latin, Byzantine, Armenian and Chaldean Rites. Most Latin Church Catholics are Levantines of mainly Italian or French background, with a few are ethnic Turks, who are usually either converts via marriage to Levantines or other non-Turkish Catholics, or are returnees from Europe who converted there, and who may often be still registered as Muslim by the government. Byzantine, Armenian, and Chaldean rite Catholics are generally members of the Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian minority groups respectively. Turkey's Catholics are concentrated in Istanbul.
By 2020, there were approximately 70 priests and 50 nuns serving in 52 parishes;[2] the church also ran 6 hospitals and homes for the old and infirm.
The Catholic Christian community was shocked when Father Andrea Santoro, an Italian missionary working in Turkey for 10 years, was shot twice in February 2006 at his church near the Black Sea.[4] He had written a letter to the Pope asking him to visit Turkey.[5] Pope Benedict XVI visited Turkey in November 2006.[6] Relations had been rocky since Pope Benedict XVI had stated his opposition to Turkey joining the European Union.[7] Turkey's Council of Catholic Bishops met with the Turkish prime minister in 2004 to discuss restrictions and difficulties such as property issues.[8] On June 6, 2010, Bishop Luigi Padovese, the Vicar Apostolic of Turkey, was killed.
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