42+ min ago (964+ words) Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his visit to Turkey on Sunday before heading to Lebanon, where he hoped to bring a message of hope to its long-suffering people and bolster a crucial Christian community in the Middle East. Leo had two key appointments in Istanbul before flying to Beirut: a prayer at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and a divine liturgy with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, whose invitation to commemorate an important Christian anniversary was the impetus for Leo's visit. On the second leg of his maiden papal trip, Leo was visiting Lebanon at a precarious moment for the small Mediterranean country after years of successive crises. He is fulfilling a promise of Pope Francis, who had wanted to visit for years but was unable to as his health worsened. Francis often quoted St. John…...

1+ day, 2+ hour ago (453+ words) Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday at the start of an intense day of meetings and liturgies with Turkey's religious leaders and a Mass for the country's tiny Catholic community. The head of Turkey's Diyanet religious affairs directorate showed Leo the soaring tiled dome of the mosque and the Arabic inscriptions on its columns, as Leo nodded in understanding. The Vatican had said Leo would observe a "brief minute of silent prayer" there, but it wasn't clear if he had. Leo was following in the footsteps of his recent predecessors, who all made high-profile visits to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, as it is officially known, in a gesture of respect to Turkey's Muslim majority. Leo removed his shoes and walked through the carpeted mosque in his white socks. Past popes have also visited the nearby Hagia Sophia…...

1+ day, 3+ hour ago (130+ words) Pope Leo XIV started the second day of his trip to Turkey with a visit to Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday. This is the pope's first foreign trip. He will also visit Lebanon. Leo, history's first American pope, is expected to speak in broader terms about peace in the Middle East Pope visits Blue Mosque Leo visited the iconic mosque in Istanbul, where the head of Turkey's Diyanet religious affairs directorate showed him the structure's soaring blue-tiled dome. The Vatican said Leo would observe a "brief minute of silent prayer," but it wasn't clear if he had. Leo was following in the footsteps of his recent predecessors, who all made high-profile visits to the mosque in a gesture of respect to Turkey's Muslim majority....

1+ day, 17+ hour ago (256+ words) SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW.. ISTANBUL, T'RK'YE (NOV. 28, 2025) (ANADOLU-ACCESS ALL)ISTANBUL, T'RK'YE - NOV. 28, 2025: Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Catholic Church and the sovereign of the Vatican City State arrived at the Holy Spirit (Saint Esprit) Cathedral in Istanbul, on Friday, Nov. 28. On Thursday, Pope Leo arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara on his first trip abroad, including both T'rkiye and Lebanon. The pope will be in T'rkiye through Sunday on an official visit at the invitation of the Turkish president. In addition to Ankara, he is scheduled to visit Istanbul and Iznik, a historic site for the early Christian Church, when it was known as Nicaea. Huge cheers as Pope Leo XIV arrives in Turkey for his foreign visit - Pope Leo XIV received an enthusiastic welcome from Turkey's Catholic community on his first full day, greeted by cheers at Istanbul's…...

1+ day, 21+ hour ago (473+ words) Pope Leo XIV marks a high point of his his first foreign trip to Turkey with a pilgrimage to the site where early Christian church leaders met 1,700 years ago under the auspices of the Roman Emperor Constantine to host the Council of Nicaea. Leo will pray with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, at the site of the 325 AD gathering, now the town of Iznik, and sign a joint declaration in a show of Christian unity. The unprecedented gathering of at least 250 bishops from around the Roman Empire during the first council established the first version of the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that millions of Christians still recite each Sunday. Eastern and Western churches were united until the Great Schism of 1054, a divide precipitated largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope. The…...

1+ day, 21+ hour ago (254+ words) Pope Leo XIV opened his first full day in Turkey on Friday by meeting with its tiny Catholic community, greeted by cheers and applause as he embarked on a day meant to bolster Christians around the world and pursue their centuries-old quest for unity. Shouts of "Papa Leo" and "Viva il Papa" (Long Live the pope) erupted along with cheering and clapping inside and outside Istanbul's Cathedral of the Holy Spirit as Leo arrived to begin the first full day of his first trip as pope. Leo was meeting with Turkey's Catholic clergy and nuns before taking part in the key reason for his visit. He will commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of one of the most important moments in Christianity: the 325 AD gathering of bishops that produced the Nicaean Creed, a statement of faith that millions still recite today. Catholic, Orthodox…...

2+ day, 10+ hour ago (83+ words) With his foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV will become the first American pope on the road. The journey fulfills a visit Pope Francis had hoped to make before his health declined, and it gives Leo a prominent platform to speak about peace in the Middle East. In a notable shift from the Vatican's traditional use of Italian, he will address audiences exclusively in English while in Turkey and in both English and French during his time in Lebanon....

2+ day, 19+ hour ago (925+ words) Pope Leo XIV will make a notable departure from his predecessors in the first foreign trip of his pontificate Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, is set to embark on his inaugural foreign trip, a significant six-day tour of Turkey and Lebanon. The visit, scheduled from November 27 to December 2, presents crucial opportunities to foster relations with two of the Catholic Church's primary focuses: Orthodox Christians and Muslims. In a notable departure from the Vatican's traditional Italian, the Pope will address audiences exclusively in English in Turkey, and in a combination of English and French in Lebanon, using these languages to articulate a broader message of peace across the Middle East. Security measures are expected to be exceptionally tight, particularly in the wake of an Israeli strike targeting Hezbollah in Beirut just days before the pontiff's arrival. This journey holds…...

2+ day, 19+ hour ago (159+ words) Pope Leo embarks Thursday on his first foreign trip as pontiff, visiting Turkey and Lebanon with a mission to promote peace and Christian unity. Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Swipe for next article The poignant meaning behind Pope Leo's first foreign visit - Pope Leo XIV is embarking on his first foreign trip to Turkey this Thursday, fulfilling a journey previously planned by the late Pope Francis. - The visit's main purpose is to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and foster Christian unity through a joint declaration with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. - The Pontiff's itinerary includes meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and various ecumenical and interfaith engagements in Istanbul, including a visit to the Blue Mosque. - Turkey's significant role as an intermediary in peace negotiations for…...

2+ day, 20+ hour ago (780+ words) Leo is fulfilling a trip the late Pope Francis planned to make Pope Leo XIV embarks on his first foreign trip this Thursday to Turkey, fulfilling late Pope Francis" plans to mark a key Orthodox anniversary and bring peace amid crucial efforts for Ukraine and Mideast. Arriving first in Ankara, he will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and address the diplomatic corps. He then moves to Istanbul for three days of ecumenical and interfaith meetings, ahead of the Lebanese leg of his trip. The pontiff"s visit comes as Turkey, a nation of over 85 million predominantly Sunni Muslims, acts as a key intermediary in Ukraine and Gaza peace negotiations. Ankara has hosted Russia-Ukraine talks and offered to join a Gaza stabilisation force to uphold the fragile ceasefire, efforts Pope Leo may applaud. Turkey's increasing military might, boasting NATO's second-largest army…...