Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience Wednesday that he will start his first foreign visit, to Turkey and Lebanon, on Thursday, calling them "countries rich in history".
    The trip will take place from November 27 to December 2 and will visit eight different locations in Turkey and Lebanon.
    The journey, Leo said, would also be an opportunity to "commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council," which was held in Nicaea, modern-day İznik in Türkiye, and to "meet with the Catholic community, our Christian brothers and sisters, and those of other religions." The Turkey trip will also include an important sign of interreligious dialogue in a visit to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
    In Lebanon, among the highlights are an ecumenical and interreligious meeting and a silent prayer at the site of the explosion at the port of Beirut.
    "Tomorrow I will travel to Turkey and then to Lebanon to visit the beloved people of those countries rich in history and spirituality," Leo said at the end of the general audience.
    "It will also be an opportunity to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council celebrated in Nicaea and to meet with the Catholic community, our Christian brothers and sisters, and those of other religions.
    "I ask you to accompany me with prayer."
   

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA