Name: The stakes of Pope Leos trip to the Middle East
Uploaded: 2025-11-27T17:54:19.943Z
Duration: 1 min 34 s
Description: Pope Leo XIV is visiting Turkey and Lebanon on his first foreign trip, marking the Council of Nicea anniversary and meeting religious leaders. The journey highlights interfaith dialogue and addresses ongoing political and regional tensions in the Middle East.

Pope Leo XIV is visiting Turkey and Lebanon on his first foreign trip, marking the Council of Nicea anniversary and meeting religious leaders. The journey highlights interfaith dialogue and addresses ongoing political and regional tensions in the Middle East.

Istanbul

Pope Leo XIV has started his first international visit since becoming the head of the Catholic Church, beginning in Turkey. The trip includes meetings with Turkey's president, a commemoration of the Council of Nicaea alongside Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, and a visit to the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul.

Following his stay in Turkey, the Pope will travel to Lebanon, which has the highest percentage of Christians in the Middle East. The central themes of his visit are peace and unity, particularly significant in a region marked by religious diversity and ongoing tensions.

The stakes of Pope Leo's trip to the Middle East

First foreign trip since he took the helm as the head of the Catholic Church in May. Thursday morning, Pope Leo XIV departed from Rome to start his journey in Turkey. Members of Turkey's small Catholic minority eagerly await his arrival. It's very, very important that Pope Leo XIV makes his first trip to a Muslim country. He needs to come and spread the light of hope to us because we really need it. In the country's capital, Ankara, he plans to meet Turkey's president. On Friday, Pope Leo will commemorate the Council of Nicaea with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual representative of Eastern Orthodox Christians. This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the historic council, where a statement of faith central to most Christian denominations was proclaimed. Finally, the pontiff will visit Istanbul's iconic Sultan Ahmet Mosque this weekend. I see the benefit in the fusion of religions with each other. We are the grandchildren of Ottomans. You know, the Ottomans allowed freedom of religion after conquering Istanbul. We believe that if religions come together, even better things will happen. The world will be a better place. God willing, the Pope's arrival will be a blessing. After his visit to Turkey, the pontiff is set to travel to Lebanon on Sunday. The Levantine country has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East. In the region rife with tensions, peace and unity are key themes underpinning Pope Leo's trip.

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