Pope Leo XIV to set out on first overseas trip to Turkey, Lebanon on Thursday

• Pope Leo XIV to begin his first overseas trip to Turkey and Lebanon on Thursday.
• Visit aims to promote Christian unity and peace amid Middle East tensions.
• In Lebanon, the pope will meet youth, hold an open-air mass, and visit the Beirut port explosion site.
• In Turkey, he will celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and engage with Orthodox leaders.

Pope Leo XIV will embark on his first overseas trip Thursday, travelling to Turkey and Lebanon with the goals of promoting Christian unity and supporting peace initiatives in a region marked by heightened tensions.

The six-day journey represents the first major international test for the US-born pope, who was elected in May and is known for a more understated style compared with his charismatic predecessor, Francis.

In Turkey, the pontiff will commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, where the foundational Christian Creed was written. While the visit has attracted limited attention in the predominantly Muslim country, where Christians make up just 0.2 percent of the 86 million population, it carries strong symbolic significance for interfaith dialogue. Pope Leo will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, visit the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, and join Orthodox dignitaries on Friday at Lake Iznik, the historical site of Nicaea, for a prayer service.

Lebanon, however, is eagerly anticipating the pope’s arrival. The country has faced multiple crises since 2019, including economic collapse, the 2020 Beirut port explosion, and recent conflict with 'Israel'.

“The Lebanese are tired,” said Vincent Gelot, director of the Lebanon and Syria office for l'Oeuvre d'Orient, a Catholic organization supporting Christians in the Middle East. “They expect a frank word to the Lebanese elite, as well as strong and concrete actions.”

Preparations in Beirut are well underway, with signs proclaiming “Lebanon wants peace” displayed along restored roads. Lebanon’s ambassador to the Holy See, Fadi Assaf, called the visit “exceptional,” noting it would “highlight the difficulties facing Lebanon” and hoped for a “political and economic breakthrough.”

The pope’s itinerary in Lebanon includes a meeting with the country’s youth, an open-air mass expected to draw 100,000 people, and a prayer at the Beirut port explosion site. Abdo Abou Kassem, the Church’s media coordinator for the visit, highlighted that Pope Leo also aims to “reaffirm Lebanon's role as... a model for both East and West” through an interreligious meeting in downtown Beirut.

In addition to public events, the pope will spotlight the role of private and religious organizations in providing healthcare and education, including a visit to a psychiatric hospital run by Franciscan nuns. Gelot emphasized that while the trip cannot resolve all challenges, it offers an opportunity to show how such initiatives sustain communities amid crisis.

The Turkey leg of the trip, a country positioned at a strategic crossroads between East and West, will underscore the Church’s commitment to dialogue with Islam. The Nicaea commemoration, predating the schisms that divided Christianity into Catholic and Orthodox branches, represents an important occasion for fostering unity.

One notable absence at the anniversary is Russian Patriarch Kirill, whose ongoing support for President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine has deepened rifts with Constantinople.