Apostolic Journey to Turkey and Lebanon
28 Nov – 5 Dec 2025
Turkey and Lebanon have been at the heart of papal diplomacy for decades: Paul VI met Patriarch Athenagoras in Istanbul in 1964 in the first papal-patriarchal encounter since 1054, John Paul II visited Turkey in 1979, and Francis met Patriarch Bartholomew there in 2014. Turkey is home to around 150,000 Catholics — a small minority in a nation of 85 million — while Lebanon's Christian communities, including some 1.7 million Maronites, represent roughly one-third of its population. Pope Leo XIV's journey focused on two pillars: deepening ecumenical dialogue at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and expressing solidarity with Lebanon's Church as the country rebuilds from the 2020 Beirut port explosion and years of economic and political crisis. The journey recalled John Paul II's declaration that Lebanon is 'more than a country — it is a message'.
Itinerary
Ankara
Istanbul
Beirut
Bkerke
Summary
Pope Leo XIV's journey to Turkey and Lebanon (28 November – 5 December 2025) was a pilgrimage of dialogue and solidarity. In Ankara and Istanbul, the Pope deepened ties with the Turkish state and met Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople — a moment of historic ecumenical significance that reaffirmed the path toward Christian unity. In Beirut and Bkerke, the Holy Father brought the embrace of the universal Church to Lebanon, a nation still bearing the wounds of the 2020 port explosion, economic collapse, and years of political crisis. The journey recalled Pope John Paul II's declaration that Lebanon is 'more than a country — it is a message'.
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