Pope Leo’s first overseas trip will be to Turkey, Lebanon

Holy See Press Office director Matteo Bruni said on October 7 that the Pope accepted the invitations of the “Head of State and Ecclesiastical Authorities” of both countries.

During the six-day papal trip, the Holy Father will visit the Turkish city of Iznek to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

According to a media release published by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on October 7, Pope Leo will undertake a joint pilgrimage with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople to Iznek/Nicaea on November 28 before spending two days in the Phanar, the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, where he and Bartholomew will celebrate the feast day of St Andrew the Apostle on November 30.

The Assembly of the Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon issued a statement on October 7 expressing their gratitude to Pope Leo for his “fatherly love and special concern” for the Lebanese people.

“We receive this historic event with great joy and renewed hope, praying this apostolic visit may bring Lebanon peace and stability, and that it may be a sign of unity for all Lebanese Christians and Muslims alike, in this delicate phase of our nation’s history,” the statement read.

According to a 2024 report from the UN’s refugee agency, Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometre in the world, including approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

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Pope Leo XIV to make first international trip, to Turkey and Lebanon (By Kristina Millare/CNA)