Is the newly elected Pope from Kayseri? 'Pope Leo XIV might be my relative'

Nurhan Çetinkaya, an Armenian-origin history researcher living in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district, has brought a bombshell claim to the agenda. The 57-year-old Çetinkaya, who continues his studies at Istanbul University, has claimed that the new spiritual leader of the Catholic world, Pope Leo XIV, has roots in Kayseri and could even be his relative, as part of the research he has been conducting for many years on Ottoman and Armenian history.

Çetinkaya, whose father was born in the Gemerek district of Sivas and whose mother was born in a village in the Develi district of Kayseri (formerly known as Everek), said he encountered an interesting detail while researching his roots. Starting his words by saying, "I am a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent. We have been children of these lands for almost a thousand years, including my father and my grandfathers," Çetinkaya explained that he has been working on documents and testimonies, especially regarding the deportation period, for about five years.

Stating that many Armenians left these lands during the migration and deportation events between 1900 and 1915, Çetinkaya stated that his great-grandmother's brother, Setrak Parsehyan, migrated from the Develi district (Everek) of Kayseri to Argentina in the 1915s. According to his claim, one of the grandchildren descending from Setrak is the French Francis Parses Prebis, known today as Pope Leo XIV, or in his own words, Faruk Parsehyan Pars.

'THE POPE IS OUR RELATIVE'

Çetinkaya announced his claim in a post he made on his social media account yesterday. In his post, he included the following statements: "Best wishes to the whole world, French Francis Parses Prebis, alias Faruk Parsehyan Pars. His ancestors went from Kayseri to the USA, where he received his religious education, and then he went to the Vatican. Today, he became Pope. He is our relative through my mother's uncle. Best wishes to our world."

Stating that he examined the family tree of Pope Leo XIV in line with his research, Çetinkaya said, "When you look at the family tree, it turns out that he (Pope Leo XIV) is the grandchild of the grandchild of Setrak's child."

'VERY PROUD FOR TURKEY'

Clarifying the fact that Pope Leo XIV's name is different, Çetinkaya pointed out that changing names among spiritual leaders is a common tradition. Showing Asadur Sarafyan, who migrated from Kayseri to America, as an example, Çetinkaya said, "He went to America and changed his name to Oscar Bankır. He is currently the Armenian with the most patents in the world living in the USA. He also changed his name and identity after his father and started his cardinalship in the Vatican. Based on this assumption, we concluded that the Pope is our relative and that he is from Kayseri and Everek. I will write him a letter confirming our family tree, and I even want to visit him to meet him. I will see according to the answer I get because this is an international issue. I don't know what kind of answer will come, but at least I want to contact a country's foreign ministry, contact the Vatican Consulate or the ambassador here, and do some work on this subject. If the current Pope is our relative, this is truly very important and very proud for Turkey," he said.

'I WILL SEND OUR FAMILY TREE TO THE POPE'

Çetinkaya said that he would write a letter to Pope Leo XIV to document this claim and would also attach the family tree he prepared. "If it is true, this would be a very meaningful and proud development both for me and for Turkey. I plan to establish official contact on this matter through the Vatican Consulate or the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If necessary, I want to visit the Pope and talk about his roots," he said.

'WE WILL BRING OUR POPE TO KAYSERI'

Expressing his belief in the accuracy of the documents regarding his claim, Nurhan Çetinkaya said, "I am researching history that is lived, not written. In this process, I saw that we might really have a connection with the Pope. This information I shared on social media received great attention. My next step is to write a letter congratulating the Pope and explaining his Anatolian roots. Maybe, depending on the answer that comes, we will bring our Pope to our Kayseri and have him pray there," he said.

'THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT I AM MISTAKEN'

Çetinkaya stated that his access to Ottoman archives was limited but that he relied on Patriarchate records. Çetinkaya said: "Maybe, depending on the answer that comes, we will bring our Pope to our Kayseri and have him pray there. If I am mistaken in my work, it won't change anything in my life. Therefore, I don't have much of an opportunity to look at the Ottoman archives. I have the Patriarchate records. There is also a possibility that I am mistaken. However, according to the kinship dynamics and roots I researched, I have reached this point. If I am mistaken, there is no problem for me; after all, the Pope is a very important religious leader. One must show respect."

'MANY PEOPLE CALLED ME CRAZY'

Stating that he has not spoken to any official from Kayseri regarding his claims, Çetinkaya concluded his words by saying, "When you look at history, there are records of what the Greeks and Armenians experienced. If they look for me, I will sit down and talk about these developments. There is no problem for me. When I announced this claim after my work, many people called me crazy and laughed. I don't care what anyone says; I am doing what I know is right, I am doing my research."