Pope Leo XIV embarks on his debut overseas trip Thursday, travelling to Turkey and Lebanon to promote Christian unity and urge peace efforts amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
The six-day trip is the first major international test for the US pope, who was elected head of the Catholic Church in May and whose understated style contrasts with that of his charismatic and impulsive predecessor, Francis.

In Turkey, Leo will celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, where the Creed – a foundational declaration of the Christian faith – was written.

While the Chicago-born pontiff’s upcoming visit has so far garnered little attention in the predominantly Muslim country, where Christians represent only 0.2 percent of the 86 million inhabitants, it is eagerly awaited in Lebanon.

Lebanon has long been held up as a model of religious coexistence.

But since 2019, it has been ravaged by crises, including economic collapse which has caused widespread poverty, a devastating blast at Beirut port in 2020, and the recent war with Israel.

Israel on Sunday struck Lebanon’s capital for the first time since June, saying it killed Hezbollah’s chief of staff, Haytham Tabtabai.

The strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed five people and wounded 25 others, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

Israeli air strikes over southern Lebanon have intensified in recent weeks while Israel and the US have pressured Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah. Israel asserts that the group is trying to rebuild its military capabilities. The Lebanese government, which supports disarming Hezbollah, has denied those claims.

Hezbollah has not attacked Israel since the US-brokered ceasefire began in June.