Pope Leo to visit Turkey and Lebanon on first overseas trip as pontiff
Vatican says ‘demanding’ six-day mission will be packed with meetings with political and religious leadersPope Leo will make his debut overseas trip as leader of the Catholic church on Thursday,...
By Angela Giuffrida in Rome and Ruth Michaelson in Damascus · The Guardian World
Vatican says ‘demanding’ six-day mission will be packed with meetings with political and religious leaders Pope Leo will make his debut overseas trip as leader of the Catholic church on Thursday, travelling on a six-day mission of peace and unity to Turkey and Lebanon in what the Vatican said was expected to be a “demanding” schedule packed with meetings with political and religious leaders amid heightened Middle East tensions. In Turkey, a country with a Muslim majority and home to an estimated 36,000 Catholics, the Chicago-born pontiff, who was elected in May, will first meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. Continue reading...