Following up on his predecessor's desire to visit Lebanon, Leo XIV is reportedly planning to go by December, possibly along with an anticipated visit to Turkey.Lenten campaign 2026
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Cardinal Bechara Raï, Patriarch of the Maronite Church, announced on Tuesday on Al-Arabiya that Pope Leo XIV would be coming to Lebanon “by December,” according to the daily newspaper L'Orient-Le Jour.
According to Vatican sources we consulted, a papal trip is indeed being planned. It could be linked to a trip to Turkey scheduled for November, to mark the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
“The date of the visit has not yet been confirmed, but the Pope will visit Lebanon by December,” the Maronite patriarch said on Tuesday on Al-Arabiya, according to the Lebanese newspaper L'Orient-Le-Jour.
Lebanon and Turkey on the same trip?
Since his election on May 8, Leo XIV has not yet traveled abroad. For the time being, the Vatican has made no official announcement of any trip outside Italy.
However, a trip by the Pope to Turkey is expected in November. The new pontiff intends to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, alongside other Christian church leaders, particularly Patriarch Bartholomew.
According to our information, Leo XIV may visit a second country during this trip. Vatican sources consulted this morning by I.MEDIA confirm that “a trip by the pope to Lebanon is indeed being prepared.”
On June 13, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was received by Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. This was the second meeting between the two men, following an initial greeting at the end of the opening Mass of the pontificate on May 18. During his visit to the Vatican, President Joseph Aoun extended an official invitation to the new pope to visit Lebanon.
Pope Francis expressed his desire to visit Lebanon on several occasions. Such a trip was even announced by the Lebanese presidency in April 2022. However, that trip didn’t take place.
Pope John Paul II visited Lebanon in 1997, and Benedict XVI made his last apostolic journey there in 2012.
