Pope Leo begins his first trip outside Italy as Catholic leader on Thursday with a visit to Turkey, where he is expected to make appeals for peace in the Middle East and urge unity among long-divided Christian churches.

Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Turkey at the start of the first foreign trip of his papacy, where he will mark an historic Christian anniversary, before heading to Lebanon days after Israeli airstrikes on its capital,

Pope Leo XIV makes historic first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon, marking 1,700 years since Council of Nicaea while supporting persecuted Christians.

P ope Leo XIV is beginning the first foreign trip of his papacy. Over the next six days he will first visit Turkey for an historic Christian anniversary. He will then visit Lebanon just days after Israeli airstrikes on its capital,

After a low-profile start to his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV is stepping into the limelight with his first foreign trip after six months in office.

Pope Leo XIV is heading to Turkey on Thursday on his first foreign trip, fulfilling the late Pope Francis’ plans to mark an important Orthodox anniversary and bring a message of peace to the region at a crucial time for efforts to end the war in Ukraine and ease Mideast tensions.

Pope Leo arrived in Turkey on his first trip outside Italy as leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday and was expected to make appeals for peace in the Middle East and urge unity among long-divided Christian churches.

Pope Leo arrived in Turkey on his first trip outside Italy as leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday. He was expected to make appeals for peace in the Middle East and urge unity among long-divided Christian churches.