Pope Leo XIV to visit Turkey and Lebanon in first apostolic journey
The Catholic Herald • October 7, 2025
The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo XIV will make his first journey outside Italy as pontiff with an apostolic visit to Turkey and Lebanon at the end of November.
In a statement released by the Holy See Press Office on 7 October, director Matteo Bruni confirmed that the Holy Father will travel to Turkey from 27 to 30 November 2025, accepting invitations from both the country’s head of state and its ecclesiastical authorities.
The visit will include a pilgrimage to İznik, the ancient city of Nicaea, to mark the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, an event considered one of the most significant in the history of Christianity.
Following the Turkish leg of the journey, Pope Leo will continue on to Lebanon from 30 November to 2 December. The visit to the Middle Eastern nation will also take place at the invitation of the country’s head of state and its Church leaders. The full itinerary, the Vatican said, will be published “in due course”.
This announcement comes after earlier speculation that Lebanon would be chosen as the Pope’s first destination abroad. The change in order means that Turkey, which straddles Europe and Asia and holds deep historical significance for the Church, will now receive the Pope first.
İznik, in northwestern Turkey, was the site of the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325, where bishops from across the Christian world gathered under the Roman Emperor Constantine to define key aspects of Christian doctrine, including the nature of Christ’s divinity.
In Lebanon, the Pope is expected to address the country’s ongoing political and economic crisis, as well as to meet leaders of its diverse religious communities. The nation has historically been a centre of coexistence between Christians and Muslims and is home to a variety of Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome.
Pope Leo XIV, elected earlier this year, has yet to travel outside Italy since assuming the papacy. Leo's choice of Turkey and Lebanon for his first journey suggests a papal focus on dialogue, reconciliation and the preservation of Christian heritage in the Middle East.
The forthcoming itinerary, expected to be published in the coming weeks, will provide further details of the Pope’s schedule in both countries.
Photo: Pope Leo XIV greets the pilgrims from Croatia at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on October 7, 2025. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)