On the last day of his visit to Turkey, Pope Leo XIV stopped by the small Armenian church in Istanbul to greet the faithful, a look behind-the-scenes with AP’s Vatican Correspondent Associated Press.

He was greeted by the Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Istanbul.

“This visit provides me with the opportunity to thank God for the courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history,” the Pope said, adding, “often amid tragic circumstances.”

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

The Pope did not specifically mention Armenian genocide, a sensitive issue for the Turkish government.

Turkey, however, denies a genocide took place.

It has insisted that the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

Pope Francis called it the “first genocide of the 20th century.”

“It is not important today to tell genocide or not,” said Mardik Evadian, an Armenian businessman attending the service, “we are living in this country and we are happy to live here.”

On his prepared remarks, Patriarch Sahak II Mashalian, delivered a strong message to the Pope and a suggestion for the role he should play in the next leg of his trip, to Lebanon.

“We are especially mindful of the continuing agony experienced by Christians across the Middle East, who bear a great share of persecution,” said the patriarch.

“We pray that the Lord may use the immense moral voice and influence of the Papacy, through Your Holiness, for the safety of these vulnerable Christian communities, especially in the very region to which you will travel later today.”

Leo is on a six-day trip to Turkey and Lebanon.

He travels to Beirut on Sunday.afternoon.

AP video by Trisha Thomas