The Vatican has officially announced that Pope Leo XIV will undertake his first international journey next month, with significant visits planned for Lebanon and Turkey. This historic decision highlights his unwavering commitment to peace and diplomacy in the Middle East.
The choice of these nations for his inaugural trip strongly signals Pope Leo XIV’s intent to advocate for global peace efforts and to offer staunch support to the Christian communities residing in the region.
While the detailed itinerary is still to be released, the Vatican confirmed on Tuesday that Pope Leo will be in Lebanon from November 30 to December 2, following his visit to Turkey.
According to Walid Ghayad, a spokesperson for the Lebanese Maronite Church, which reveres the Pope as its supreme leader, this visit to Lebanon carries immense symbolic weight. He noted in an earlier phone conversation that it would deliver a powerful message to Christians across the East, who often feel marginalized. The trip holds particular significance for Christian populations facing severe threats in Syria and Iraq.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, a Maronite and former army general, extended an invitation to Pope Leo during their meeting at the Vatican in June. Discussions during this meeting centered on the “necessary and pressing need to foster the pacification of the entire Middle East region,” as stated by the Vatican.
Lebanon, despite being a Muslim-majority nation, is home to 18 officially recognized religious groups — including 12 Christian denominations. This makes it the country with the highest percentage of Christians in the Middle East, within a population of approximately six million, which also includes about two million Syrian refugees.
The Maronite Church stands as the largest and most influential Christian denomination in Lebanon. Traditionally, the nation’s president is always a Maronite.
Since his election as pontiff, Pope Leo has consistently emphasized peace and dialogue in his addresses and audiences. He has also pledged to actively champion the spiritual heritage and traditions of the Eastern Rite churches—Catholic communities in the Middle East and Eastern Europe that have endured decades of persecution and conflict.
“The church needs you!” Pope Leo declared to a gathering of Eastern Catholics during a Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome this year.
He further expressed gratitude, stating, “I thank God for those Christians, Eastern and Latin alike, who, above all in the Middle East, persevere and remain in their homelands, resisting the temptation to abandon them.”
The Pope underscored the need for action: “Christians must be given the opportunity, and not just in words, to remain in their native lands with all the rights needed for a secure existence.”
During the same meeting, he implored global leaders to engage in negotiations for lasting peace.
The last pontiff to visit Lebanon was Benedict XVI in 2012. Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, who passed away on April 21, had repeatedly expressed a desire to visit but never had the opportunity.
In August, Pope Leo extended his profound empathy to “beloved and suffering Lebanon” on the anniversary of the devastating 2020 port explosion in Beirut. That tragic event claimed over 190 lives, injured 6,000, and caused billions in damages.
The Vatican also confirmed Pope Leo’s travel to Turkey, where he will commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. This was Christianity’s first ecumenical council, crucial for establishing the common Christian creed. He is set to visit Iznik, the modern name for the ancient city of Nicaea.
In Turkey, Pope Leo is anticipated to meet with Patriarch Bartholomew, the revered spiritual head of the world’s 260 million Orthodox Christians. The anniversary of the Council of Nicaea is a moment of profound importance for Catholic-Orthodox relations.