Pope heads to Middle East this week

Aims to boost unity in first overseas trip

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Pope Leo XIV leaves after holding an audience for the Jubilee of Choirs in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on Saturday.

(REUTERS)

Pope Leo XIV embarks on his debut overseas trip on Thursday, travelling to Turkey and Lebanon to promote Christian unity and urge peace efforts amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.

The six-day trip is the first major international test for the US pope, who was elected head of the Catholic Church in May and whose understated style contrasts with that of his charismatic and impulsive predecessor, Pope Francis.

In Turkey, Pope Leo will celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, where the Creed — a foundational declaration of the Christian faith — was written.

While the Chicago-born pontiff’s upcoming visit has so far garnered little attention in the predominantly Muslim country, where Christians represent only 0.2% of the 86 million inhabitants, it is eagerly awaited in Lebanon.

Lebanon has long been held up as a model of religious coexistence. But since 2019, it has been ravaged by crises, including economic collapse which has caused widespread poverty, a devastating blast at Beirut port in 2020, and the recent war with Israel.