Pope Leo XIV Begins His First Foreign Tour with Visits to Turkey and Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV, the Pope of the Vatican, begins today, Thursday, his first foreign tour since his election about six months ago as the head of the Catholic Church.

The six-day tour includes visits to Turkey and then Lebanon on Sunday, passing through two Muslim-majority countries that host Christian minorities.

Leo is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the capital Ankara today, before heading to Istanbul, where his agenda includes meetings with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians.

The visit to Turkey carries significant political weight, as the Pope will hold talks with Eastern Orthodox Churches. Unlike his predecessors, Leo will not visit Hagia Sophia, which was converted back into a mosque in 2020 after being a museum.

After that, Leo will head to Lebanon, where he intends to deliver a "message of peace to the Middle East," at a time when the region is experiencing renewed tensions despite a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel for a year.

The Supreme Pontiff is expected to return to the Vatican on December 2.