Source: New York Times
“The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV will go to Lebanon and Turkey next month, his first trip abroad as leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The choices signal that the American pope means to press his repeated appeals for peace and diplomacy in the Middle East and to convey his concerns about the Christians who live there. … Since being elected pontiff, Leo has made peace and dialogue a central theme at audiences and in other addresses to the faithful. He has also vowed to actively promote the spirituality and traditions of the Eastern Rite churches, the Catholic communities rooted in the Middle East and Eastern Europe that have struggled to survive during decades of persecution and war.” (10/07/25)