Pope Leo to visit Turkey and Lebanon in first foreign trip of his papacy
Pope Leo XIV begins the first foreign trip of his papacy. In the next six days, he will first visit Türkiye for a historic Christian anniversary. He will later visit Lebanon, a few days after Israel launched an airstrike on the capital Beirut.
Visits to both countries were originally planned by the late Pope Francis, but the overarching theme – building bridges – was a signature theme from the moment Pope Leo stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica following his election in May.
In the first six months of his papacy, he displayed an extremely measured, even cautious attitude. However, on this journey, diplomatic powers will be closely examined.
An important moment of the trip will take place in the Turkish city of Iznik, where the ancient city of Iznik is located. Pope Leo and leaders of other Christian traditions will gather to mark the anniversary of the ancient council that took place here 1,700 years ago. In 325 AD, among other important decisions, more than 200 bishops at the council affirmed the belief that Jesus was the son of God, ultimately leading to what became known as the Nicene Creed.
The Eastern and Western branches of Christianity later split dramatically, but along this journey there will be messages of unity and healing of divisions.
In Türkiye, the Pope will also visit the Blue Mosque, as did his predecessors Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI. Before moving on to the second leg of the trip, he will hold meetings with other religious leaders for interfaith dialogue.
The Vatican said plans for the Pope’s visit to Lebanon have not changed following Israel’s air strikes on Beirut at the beginning of the week.
You will meet more faith leaders and hear from youth in Lebanon; His visit will especially support the fact that an estimated one-third of the country is Christian.
On the final day of the trip, Pope Leo will celebrate Mass at the site of the 2020 port explosion on Beirut’s coast and pray for the more than 200 people who died and nearly 7,000 others.
While he has spoken out in recent months on some issues important to him, such as the dignity of immigrants, he has certainly not been as overtly political as his predecessor might have been.
He walked such a fine line that in some cases both progressives and traditionalists within the Catholic Church showed support for their respective schools of thought.
For similar reasons, cardinals with different views were thought to have rallied around him in the conclave.
Pope Francis was seen as a visionary but not overly concerned with creating consensus and leaving a somewhat divided Church behind. Pope Leo has so far acted very differently; While he gently held on to some of his predecessor’s progressive ideals, he also listened to the views of traditionalists.
He has repeatedly called for an end to the war, but in a different way than Pope Francis, who made memorable daily appeals to offer his support to the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza.
During meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Lebanese civilian leaders during this trip, Pope Leo may be asked to comment on his views on conflicts in the region.
Since it is customary for the Pope to hold a press conference with the traveling press on his return flight to Rome, we may hear something of his impressions at the end of his trip.
What we will hear more about on this trip is a pope speaking with a Chicago accent.
Although Pope Leo, who is fluent in many languages, has so far delivered his public addresses mainly in Italian, the Vatican confirmed that he will speak some French during his time in Lebanon and English during the Turkey leg of his trip.
