Pope Leo heads to Turkey and Lebanon in first overseas trip

Pope Leo XIV makes his debut overseas trip on Nov 25, going to Turkey and Lebanon to promote Christian unity and peace efforts amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.

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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, he 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 per cent 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.