Pope Leo Announces First International Trip — Heading to Turkey and Lebanon
- Cloud 9 News
- Oct 8
- 3 min read
Vatican City — October 8, 2025 - Pope Leo XIV revealed plans Tuesday for his inaugural foreign journey as pontiff, a pilgrimage to Turkey and Lebanon from November 27 to December 2, emphasizing ecumenical dialogue and peace in regions of historic Christian significance. The announcement, made during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, marks a symbolic debut focused on the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea—the first ecumenical council convened in 325 AD in what is now Turkey—and interfaith solidarity amid Lebanon's ongoing recovery from conflict.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni detailed the itinerary: The pope will arrive in Istanbul on November 27 for a three-day stay in Turkey, including a private meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Phanar and a visit to the Church of St. George, seat of the Orthodox patriarchate. Leo will then travel to Lebanon on November 30, spending two days in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, where he plans to meet with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi and representatives from the country's diverse religious communities. The trip concludes with a return to Rome on December 2.
"This journey is a call to unity and healing, echoing the councils that shaped our faith," Leo said, his Midwestern accent carrying over the crowd of 15,000 pilgrims. The American-born pope, elected in July following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, chose these destinations to honor his predecessor's unfulfilled pledge to visit Lebanon while advancing Francis-era priorities on migration and Middle East peace.
The visits build on a legacy of papal outreach to both nations. Turkey has hosted four popes: Paul VI in 1967, the first since the fall of Constantinople in 1453; John Paul II in 1979; Benedict XVI in 2006, amid tensions over a Regensburg lecture; and Francis in 2014, where he prayed at the Blue Mosque and met Patriarch Bartholomew.Lebanon's papal history includes Benedict XVI's 2012 trip, where he signed his apostolic exhortation Post-Synodal Exhortation to the People of God on the Family amid the Syrian civil war's spillover.Francis repeatedly expressed intent to visit but was deterred by health and security concerns.
In 2025, Vatican-Turkey relations remain cordial yet cautious, with Istanbul's Hagia Sophia—converted to a mosque in 2020—symbolizing cultural frictions, though Leo's trip avoids direct commentary to prioritize Orthodox ties.Lebanon, home to 18 religious sects and a Christian minority of 34%, faces economic collapse and Hezbollah-Israel border clashes; the Holy See has mediated ceasefires since 2023, providing $10 million in humanitarian aid last year.
The itinerary underscores Leo's emerging pontificate, blending his Chicago roots with global outreach. In Turkey, events will commemorate Nicaea's Nicene Creed, fostering Catholic-Orthodox reconciliation—a priority since the 1965 lifting of mutual excommunications. Lebanon's leg addresses the 2020 Beirut port explosion's aftermath, which killed 218 and displaced 300,000, alongside calls for political reform in a nation where Christians hold 50 parliamentary seats.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, noted the trip's timing aligns with Advent preparations, symbolizing hope. Security will be robust, with Turkish and Lebanese forces coordinating amid regional volatility.
As Leo prepares, pilgrims chanted "Unity! Peace!" in the square. His journey, the first by a U.S.-born pope abroad, signals a papacy rooted in bridges, not walls—echoing Francis while charting new paths in fractured lands.
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