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Visit by Pope Leo XIV to Turkey and Lebanon
2025 apostolic journey From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Pope Leo XIV will visit Turkey from November 27 to 30 and Lebanon from November 30 to December 2, 2025. The trip will be Leo's first apostolic journey abroad since his May 2025 election. The visit to Turkey will include an ecumenical commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea.[1][2]
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Turkey
Pope Francis intended to accept the invitation of Bartholomew I of Constantinople to commemorate the anniversary of the Council of Nicea in Iznik, but died in April of 2025. Leo stated from the beginning of his papacy that he intended to continue the planned visit of his predecessor.[3][4] There have been four prior papal visits to Turkey, the first of which was Pope Paul VI in 1967 and the most recent was Pope Francis in 2014.[5]
Lebanon
Francis also expressed hopes to visit Lebanon multiple times throughout his papacy, but was prevented by political instability in the nation.[3][6] John Paul II was the first pope to make an extended formal visit to the nation in 1997, and Benedict XVI travelled to the country in 2012, the last apostolic visit of his papacy.[7] In June of 2025, Joseph Aoun, the President of Lebanon, formally invited Leo to visit the nation.[8]
The journey was announced on the anniversary of the October 7 attacks by Hamas.[3] Pope Leo's advocacy for peace in the Gaza war became more vocal following Israel's strike on Holy Family Church, Gaza, which killed 3.[9] Israel invaded Lebanon in October 2024 due in part to the presence of Hezbollah in the country as part of the ongoing conflict in the region.[10]
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Itinerary
Turkey
On November 28th, Leo and Bartholomew will travel to Nicaea, and then together visit the See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Phanar and celebrate the feast of Andrew the Apostle the following two days.[11]
References
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