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Pope Leo
Visits abroad are an important part of the Holy See’s “soft power,” providing opportunities for the pope to meet with the political leaders of the host country, address local Catholic communities, and draw international media attention to local issues.
By going to Lebanon, Leo will fly to the heart of the conflict-ridden Middle East, arriving in Beirut just days after Israel’s attack on the Lebanese capital.
For Leo, the trip could lend further weight to his appeal for harmony and dialogue in the Middle East, echoing his first words after the election: “Peace be with you all.”
He is also following in the footsteps of Pope Francis, who used papal visits to try to help war-torn countries such as South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Francis also visited Türkiye and the Holy Land early in his papacy.
America’s first pope will embark on his first visit during the nation’s Thanksgiving season, a time when gratitude, unity and peace are at the forefront.
These themes could have wider global resonance as we visit two Muslim-majority countries that are home to ancient Christian communities. The Pope’s visit is also expected to focus on dialogue and unity between the various sectors of Christianity. Leo will also deliver all his speeches in English and French rather than Italian, marking a shift in papal culture as the first American-born pope to speak multiple languages fluently.
Here is the breakdown of the trip:
Why is the Pope visiting Türkiye and Lebanon?
Pope Leo is keeping his predecessor Francis’ promise to visit both countries. Francis was scheduled to visit Lebanon in 2022 and Turkey sometime in 2025 to mark important anniversaries for the Church, but both visits were postponed for health reasons.
Leos also receive formal invitations to visit each country by their respective presidents. Although Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country, it is also home to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is considered the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church and is headquartered in Istanbul.
The Eastern and Western sects of Christianity split in 1054, known as the “Great Schism.” Efforts have been made in recent decades to heal the divide, with Francis, Benedict XVI and John Paul II visiting Turkey early in their papacy.
Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, the Vatican’s director-general for interreligious dialogue, told CNN: “I think Pope Leo is following in the footsteps of his predecessors by going to Turkey on his first foreign trip. Turkey is a Muslim-majority country, but he’s going to Turkey for Christian reasons.”
The Vatican has long been involved in Middle East diplomacy, and in 2021 Pope Francis welcomed Lebanese Christian leaders to the Vatican to help deal with Lebanon’s political crisis.
Leo’s visit to Lebanon follows repeated calls for dialogue and peace in the region. Although the majority of Lebanon’s citizens are Muslim, the country’s president, currently Joseph Aoun, is by tradition a Maronite Christian.
Leo will celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which was held in Iznik in present-day northwestern Turkey. A council in 325 AD agreed on a formulation of the Christian faith called the “Nicean Creed.” This creed is still spoken today in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Church, and other churches.
While in Turkey, Leo will participate in an event commemorating the anniversary of the Creed in Iznik on Friday with Patriarch Bartholomew and other church leaders. Ahead of his visit, Leo released a letter encouraging the church to “move away from obsolete theological debates” on the 1,700th anniversary of the founding of Nicaea and calling for “reconciliation through dialogue.”
Archdiocese Dimitrios Nikiforos, head of Patriarch Bartholomew’s private office, which has been helping plan the papal visit, told CNN that marking this anniversary “could be a decisive moment for the present and future of Christianity and its witness in the modern world.”
He added that environmental protection would be on the agenda as part of “raising awareness of environmental protection through common mobilization.” Bartholomew is sometimes called the “Green Patriarch” for his environmental work.
Leo is also scheduled to visit Turkey to celebrate the Feast of St. Andrew, an important ritual for the Orthodox Church, and the pope is expected to sign a joint declaration with the patriarch.
In a time of division and religious persecution, “the symbolic presence of two global spiritual leaders makes the Christian witness more credible and impactful,” the Rev. John Krisabgis, a theologian and Bartholomew’s advisor, told CNN. He added that Leo’s visit underlines “the close ties and search for unity between Rome and Constantinople.”
During his stay in Turkey, Leo will become the first pope to visit Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, but not the Hagia Sophia, a former church turned museum (which was converted back into a mosque in 2020). At the time, Pope Francis said he was “saddened” by Türkiye’s decision. On Saturday, Leo is scheduled to celebrate Mass with an estimated 4,000 spectators at Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena, and is scheduled to make a late addition to his schedule to visit Ankara’s Diyanet (Presidency for Religious Affairs) and meet with Turkey’s chief rabbi.
The pope will arrive in Lebanon on Sunday, where he will meet with political leaders and young people, participate in an interfaith gathering and celebrate Mass on Beirut’s waterfront.
On December 2, Leo will observe a moment of silence at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, which killed 218 people and injured more than 7,000. Many in Lebanon are still waiting for an explanation, and in early August Leo sent a message to a rally marking the fifth anniversary of the explosion.
Lebanon is made up of a rich tapestry of different religious groups and is home to 12 Christian communities. Leo plans to meet privately with some leaders. He also plans to hold informal talks with Muslim and Druze leaders.
Lebanon’s largest Christian group is the Maronites, who recognize the authority of the Pope and are part of the Catholic Church, but have their own traditions, including allowing married men to be ordained priests.
Leo will visit the Monastery of St. Maron, which was the protector of the Maronite Church in the 4th century, and will be able to pray at the tomb of another important saint, Charbel Makhlouf, a monk famous for bringing people of different faiths together.
The pope’s busy schedule also includes a visit to De La Croix Hospital in Jal el Dib, a large psychiatric hospital run by Catholic nuns, and he plans to plant a cedar tree during his stay at the presidential palace in Beirut.
The Reverend Michel Abboud, president of the country’s Catholic charity Caritas Lebanon, told Vatican News that the pope’s visit “will show that the people, despite all the difficulties they have been through, should not feel abandoned.”
How does the Pope travel? Who does he travel with?
The first pope to fly on an official trip was Pope Paul VI, who flew to Jordan in 1964, marking the beginning of modern papal international travel. Leo will be accompanied by about 80 journalists on an ITA Airlines plane, also known as “Shepherd One,” the papal flight.
He will be accompanied by a medical team, as well as senior Vatican officials and secretaries, including the cardinal in charge of Christian Unity, Interreligious Dialogue and the Eastern Churches Department. The pope and his entourage will sit at the front of the plane, while the media will sit at the back. Pope Francis went to the back of the plane to personally greet all the journalists who accompanied him and was scheduled to hold a press conference on his return.
The Pope’s press conference has not been confirmed, but if it does happen, it will likely take place on his flight home. Leo holds an impromptu press conference outside the papal hideout in Castel Gandolfo.
While in Turkey and Lebanon, Leo will be transported by car and military helicopter, and will use a papal-spec golf buggy at Turkey’s Volkswagen Arena. A Vatican spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday that Leo would use open-top transportation in both countries, but that “the most suitable vehicle will be selected depending on the situation.”
Popes typically stay in the residences of papal ambassadors known as “apostolic legates” when they visit abroad, and the Vatican has embassies in the capitals of Turkey and Lebanon.
However, while in Turkey, he will not stay overnight in Ankara, but will instead stay at the Apostolic Mission in Istanbul, the home of Turkey’s Holy See before the capital move. The facility is located on Papa Roncalli Street, named after Pope John XXIII, who served as the Holy See’s representative to Turkey and Greece in the 1930s and 1940s.
It is unclear whether or how Leo will celebrate, and a Vatican spokesperson said he had no information to share in response to questions from CNN on Tuesday.
One of his brothers, John, said Leo loved Thanksgiving stuffing, the side dish traditionally served with roasted turkey.
