Pope Leo XIV begins this Thursday and until December 2 his first international trip to Turkey and Lebanon with a message of peace and hope for both Christian minorities and the Middle East, on a visit that will serve to decipher the American pontiff who has so far shown himself to be reserved and cautious.
«I am very happy to visit Lebanon, my message will be to bring a word of peace and hope especially in this Jubilee year,» declared the pontiff to the press in front of his residence at Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo, where he usually goes one day a week to rest.
Leo XIV recalled that one of the main reasons for the trip is to attend the 1,700th anniversary of the historic Council of Nicaea, so he will travel to present-day Iznik, in Turkey, to emphasize «the importance of unity in faith, which can also be a source of peace for the whole world».
This first international tour to Turkey and Lebanon, although it was a destination that Francis had prepared, has aroused great expectation in the press, with around 80 media traveling with the pontiff, including EFE, and many who have been left out of the flight for lack of space.
The trip will serve to highlight «dialogue and unity among Christians, closeness to Catholic communities forged by centuries of history, affected by tragedies and tensions, and peace, a theme that has deeply concerned the pope since his first appearance in the world and throughout these seven months of pontificate,» summarized the director of the press office of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni.
Dialogue with Islam and the unity of Christians in Turkey
Monsignor Vartan Kazandjian, coordinator of the Pope's apostolic trip to Turkey, revealed to the Vatican media his surprise at having sold out the 4,000 seats at the Volkswagen Arena stadium in Istanbul where Pope Leo XIV's mass will be held.
«Now we regret not having a larger space,» he explained despite the fact that Catholics in the country are 33,000, 0.04% of the population, according to Vatican statistics.
The reason for this trip is the visit to Iznik, ancient Nicaea, to commemorate the 1,700 years of the first Council of Christianity, in a suggestive setting by the lake where the archaeological remains of the basilica of Saint Neophytus have re-emerged, built in the place where it is believed the important meeting convened by Emperor Constantine took place.
The celebration will feature hymns and prayers with some twenty patriarchs and representatives of Christian churches gathered in a semicircle before the icons of Christ and the Council.
Ecumenical meeting and visit to the Blue Mosque
Another ecumenical meeting is scheduled for Sunday, November 30, with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and a visit to the Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate of Turkey.
Like Francis and Benedict XVI, Leo XIV will visit the Blue Mosque where he will have a moment of reflection under its impressive ceramic vaults.
Lebanon: words of hope for a wounded country
He will then travel to Lebanon where «he will express his closeness to the small communities» of Catholics, some of whom are going through difficult times in the midst of emigration and tensions,» explained the Vatican spokesman.
The Pope arrives in Lebanon at a time when Israel continues to attack the south of the country, but they assure that there is no fear for security.
With the youth, the most affected by the country's economic situation, the pontiff will share one of the most significant moments of this visit during the encounter in the square in front of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch in Bkerké.
He will also pray at the wooden and stone tomb of the healer monk Saint Charbel and at the feet of the statue of Our Lady of Lebanon and visit the port of Beirut where the terrible explosion occurred in August 2020 and which is still an open wound for its inhabitants who demand justice and await a word from the pontiff.
The American and Peruvian Pope has chosen to speak in English during all his official meetings, and in French during liturgical celebrations.
During the trip, Pope Leo XIV will meet for the first time with the Turkish president, Recep Erdogan, with whom he will surely address the complicated moment in negotiations to end the war in Russia in Ukraine and the ceasefire in Gaza.
A visit to the Diyanet, Turkey's department for relations with religions, has been added to the official program, as well as a meeting with the Chief Rabbi of Turkey.
