POPE LEO SET TO VISIT TÜRKIYE, LEBANON IN HIS 1ST TRIP ABROAD

Wed 08 October 2025:

Pope Leo XIV will travel to Türkiye and then Lebanon for his first trip abroad starting next month, Vatican News announced on Tuesday.

“The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, has announced that Pope Leo will travel to Türkiye and Lebanon in late November and early December of this year,” said the Vatican’s official news portal.

The visits are part of his first trip outside of Italy since becoming pope.

Leo will be in Türkiye on Nov. 27-30 and then Lebanon through Dec. 2.

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The pontiff will visit Iznik in northwestern Türkiye, a historic city once known as Nicaea, while the itinerary for Lebanon will be released later.

In Iznik, Leo will commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a pivotal event in the early Christian church where key doctrines were settled, such as the nature of Jesus and his relation to God the father.

The visit will offer Leo – elected to head The Holy See on May 8 – a platform to appeal for peace in the Middle East and address the plight of the region’s Christians.

Like his predecessor, Leo has repeatedly called for peace and dialogue in the region, including calling for a ceasefire in Gaza to end the “terror, destruction and death”.

On Sunday, he spoke optimistically about ongoing negotiations to end the war in Gaza, saying “significant steps” had been made and urging “all those in positions of responsibility to commit themselves to this path.”

Travelling abroad has become a major part of the modern papacy, with popes seeking to meet local Catholics, spread the faith, and conduct international diplomacy.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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