Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV begins the first overseas journey of his papacy on Thursday, setting off for Turkey at a moment of heightened tension across the Middle East.
The landmark trip, which will later take him to Lebanon, opens in Ankara. Straight after the official welcome ceremony at Ankara’s International Airport, Pope Leo XIV visited the city’s Mausoleum of Atatürkor Anıtkabir (literally, ‘memorial tomb’), accompanied by an official delegation including the Minister, the Vice-Governor, and the Commander of the Mausoleum.
The Pope signed the Mausoleum’s Book of Honour and wrote that, “I give thanks to God for being able to visit Türkiye, and I invoke upon this country and its people an abundance of peace and prosperity.”
Since his election in May, Leo XIV has shown a natural ease with the media, holding regular weekly conversations with reporters. In an effort to reach a wider audience during this tour, he will deliver all his speeches in English rather than Italian, the language normally used for papal addresses.
Pope Leo XIV arrives in Türkiye and receives an official welcome at the Ankara Esenboğa International Airport as he begins his first Apostolic Journey. pic.twitter.com/W28d9r0aPi
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) November 27, 2025
Dialogue and Sensitivity in Ankara
Leo’s first major speech in Turkey is expected to centre on dialogue with Islam in a country where Christians represent just 0.1 percent of the population. Turkey’s 86 million citizens are predominantly Sunni Muslim, and the pope’s call for patient conversation carries particular weight on the edge of a region scarred by conflict.
Observers expect him to highlight the need for peace across the broader Middle East. Yet he will also have to address the delicate issues in Ankara, including human rights concerns, the arrests of political opponents, and the challenges faced by Turkey’s small Christian community.
Despite rising religious nationalism and the controversial reconversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque in 2020, the Vatican sees Turkey as an essential partner in efforts to stabilise the region. The Holy See has also acknowledged Turkey’s role in hosting more than 2.5 million refugees, most of them from Syria.
Pope Leo XIV wishes Americans ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ as he greets journalists traveling with him aboard the papal plane bound for Ankara at the start of his Apostolic Journey to Türkiye.https://t.co/08vdNe3GQK pic.twitter.com/M27sVIW2jg
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) November 27, 2025
Faith and Unity in Iznik
On Friday, the focus turns to faith as the pope travels to Iznik for the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. The fourth-century gathering produced a creed that remains central to Christian belief. Leo was invited by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, to take part in a prayer on the shores of Lake Iznik. The event was originally intended to include Pope Francis, who died in April.
Leo has met Bartholomew several times, and he described the occasion as a rare chance to support unity among Christians. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches have been divided since the Great Schism of 1054, and relations have grown more complicated in recent years, especially after the war in Ukraine deepened divisions between the Moscow and Constantinople patriarchates. Leo XIV becomes the fifth pope to visit Turkey, following Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis.
As Pope Leo XIV prepares to depart on his first Apostolic Journey, which takes him to Türkiye and Lebanon on November 27 to December 2, our Editorial Director explores the visit as a sign of unity and peace for the Middle East.https://t.co/zos06crXMh
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) November 26, 2025
Journey to a Struggling Lebanon
On Sunday, Leo will continue to Lebanon, a nation grappling with a prolonged economic collapse and deep political paralysis. The country’s fragile calm has been shaken by repeated Israeli strikes in recent days, despite an existing ceasefire.
For many in the region, the pope’s presence is seen as a gesture of solidarity at a time when communities of all faiths face fear and uncertainty. His first journey abroad sets a tone for a papacy aiming to bridge divides, encourage dialogue, and place human dignity at the centre of regional conversations.
