JD Vance plans to join Pope Leo’s visit to Turkey's Iznik

US Vice President JD Vance is planning to visit Turkey to accompany Pope Leo on his trip to the city of Iznik, marking the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, Middle East Eye can reveal.

During his first official foreign visit, the pope will tour the remains of an ancient basilica submerged in Lake Iznik, believed to be the site where the First Council convened in AD 325.

One of early Christianity’s most significant gatherings, bishops from across the Christian world gathered there to resolve key theological disputes that shaped early doctrine.

Vance, a Catholic, hopes to join the pope at the site on 28 November, several sources told MEE.  The pope and Greek Patriarch Bartholomew are expected to jointly commemorate the anniversary in Iznik.

The sources cautioned that Vance’s participation has not yet been finalised, and discussions on the matter are ongoing. However, Turkish officials expect that he will attend the commemoration.

“Vance will already be in the Middle East to celebrate Thanksgiving with American troops on 27 November,” one source said. “He would then like to travel to Turkey to participate in the visit.”

Middle East Eye has asked the US Embassy in Ankara for comment.

Turkish officials believe that if Vance attends the Iznik event, he will likely also pay a courtesy visit to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two previously met during Erdogan’s visit to the White House in September.

Measuring approximately 20 by 40 metres, the Iznik basilica is regarded as the town’s largest known church, according to a report by Anadolu Agency.

“Evidence suggests the structure is the long-lost Church of the Holy Fathers, long referenced in Christian sources but never confirmed until now, a claim that has gained increasing scholarly acceptance,” the state news agency reported.

Experts say that Pope Leo’s visit could help establish Iznik as a major centre for Christian pilgrimage and faith tourism.

Mustafa Sahin of Bursa Uludağ University, who oversees excavations at the site, told Anadolu that the basilica was initially built as a chapel dedicated to Saint Neophytos, and was destroyed in an earthquake in AD 358 then rebuilt after AD 380.

Excavations have uncovered 37 graves, many of which have been restored and reburied in their original locations to preserve authenticity.

Ahead of the Pope’s historic visit, a 38-member Vatican delegation this week arrived in Iznik to make final preparations.