Leo XIV Took Goes To Lebanon And Turkey On First Apostolic Mission
The pope seeks to build bridges between Eastern and Western Christians.
The Holy See Press Office announced today that Pope Leo XIV will travel to Turkey and Lebanon. According to papal spokesman Rev. Matteo Bruni, the trip will come in late November and early December 2025. These visits will be the pontiff's first apostolic journeys abroad. Bruni said that the visit to Turkey came following an invitation from the Turkish head of state, and church authorities in Turkey and Lebanon.
According to Bruni, the trip to Turkey "will include a pilgrimage to Iznik on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea." Bruni said that the Apostolic Journey to Lebanon "will be announced in due course." Preparations for the trip began during Pope Francis' tenure, even while it had not been officially announced. Before his death, Francis spoke of his intention to travel to the region, inviting Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church and Archbishop of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, to join the visit. His deathe delayed implementation until the new pope's election.
In June, Leo XIV told participants at the symposium "Nicea and the Church of the Third Millennium: Toward Catholic-Orthodox Unity," held at the Angelicum in Rome, that the 325 AD ecumenical council "is not merely an event of the past, but a compass that must continue to guide us toward the full, visible unity of all Christians."
A Vatican statement contended that the choice of Iznik, the former Nicea, as the starting point of the pope's missionary pontificate reflects a desire to build bridges between East and West, between Catholics and Orthodox, at a time when ecumenical dialogue is seeking new forms of communion. 'Pontiff' indeed means bridge-builder.
Lebanon has long seen conflict between Muslims and Christians. The percentage of Lebanese represented by Muslims has grown over the last decades, while the Hezbollah terrorist organization, backed by Iran, has waged war on Israel. Pope Francis once said, "Lebanon suffers, but its people do not give up...It has the weakness of diversity, but the strength of cedars."
With this visit, Leo XIV seeks to offer comfort and renew the Church's commitment to a country that, despite the wounds of the Beirut port explosion, the economic crisis, and border tensions, remains a beacon of coexistence for the entire region.