The Vatican has officially announced that Pope Leo will visit Lebanon from November 30 to December 2, marking his first trip outside Italy since becoming the head of the Catholic Church.
Before arriving in Lebanon, Pope Leo will travel to Turkey from November 27 to 30, where he will meet with Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the historic Council of Nicaea.
The pope is expected to speak about the plight of Christians in the Middle East and make appeals for peace across the region.
A new pope’s first travels are often seen as an indication of the issues he intends to highlight during his reign.
According to Vatican officials, during his stay in Lebanon, the pope is also expected to honor the victims of the 2020 Beirut port explosion.
