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The controversy surrounding the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Türkiye continues to grow, with Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli sharply criticizing the religious rituals performed during the trip as "hidden propaganda."
The pope visited Türkiye between Nov. 27 and 30, meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara before traveling to Iznik to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and holding a mass for 4,000 people in Istanbul.
Bahceli stated that while they supported the pope's visit in his capacity as the head of state of the Vatican, they objected to his actions as a spiritual leader.
"Our point of criticism is his disturbing our nation with religious and historical rituals based on showmanship," Bahceli said. "We have objections both in substance and procedure to the hidden propaganda staged from the Neophytos Basilica in Iznik to the mass at Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul."
Bahceli used a traditional Turkish idiom to express his disapproval of the activities in Iznik, which is historically significant for Christianity.
"There is no point in selling snails in a Muslim neighborhood," Bahceli said, using a Turkish proverb, implying that the actions were culturally and religiously inappropriate for Muslim beliefs. "We cannot tolerate the birth and rise of different sovereignty areas within the borders of the Republic of Türkiye, regardless of the name, purpose, or title."
He accused external forces of trying to use Iznik as a "jumping-off point" to spread Christianity in Asia while simultaneously sowing "seeds of discord" in the Islamic world.
Bahceli also targeted U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack, who recently spoke about efforts to reopen the Heybeliada Halki Seminary by 2026.
"If this is not overstepping authority, what is it? Is this ambassador going to make the decision, or is the Republic of Türkiye?" Bahceli asked.
This outburst follows a similar diplomatic row last week involving the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader, where he criticized the armed bodyguards of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani during a visit to Cizre, a stance that was later supported by President Erdogan.
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