Pope Leo XIV will make his first worldwide journey by visiting Turkey and Lebanon the place he’s anticipated to deal with peace within the Middle East, meet political leaders and present his assist to Christians within the area.
The first American pope will journey to Turkey from November 27-30 after which go to Lebanon from November 30 till December 2. While in Turkey, the pope will mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, an necessary church gathering which articulated Christian beliefs. The “Nicene creed” remains to be recited in church buildings the world over right now. The Vatican stated Leo will journey to the city of Iznik, modern-day Nicaea, for the anniversary and whereas in Turkey is anticipated to satisfy Ecumenical Patriarch Batholomew, the non secular chief of the roughly 300 million Eastern orthodox Christians.
Leo, chatting with reporters in Castel Gandolfo, stated his journey to Lebanon could be a possibility to convey “a message of peace in the Middle East in a country that has suffered so much,” and that he would search to emphasize “peace and hope” whereas within the nation.
The pope was speaking to reporters outdoors the Villa Barberini, the place he stays on his visits to the Vatican property at Castel Gandolfo, a city roughly 16 miles southeast of Rome.
His journey to Turkey, Leo defined, is focussed on marking the Council of Nicaea anniversary and might be “a moment of authentic unity in faith” for all Christians. “We must not miss this historic moment,” he stated. “But it is not to look back, it is to look forward.”
The Vatican stated Leo was invited to go to Turkey and Lebanon by each civil and church leaders of each international locations. Both are locations Pope Francis had deliberate to go to earlier than his well being issues. The president of Lebanon Joseph Aoun, a Maronite Christian, invited Leo to go to the nation when he met the pope within the Vatican in June. Lebanon is dwelling to a major Christian neighborhood, of which the Maronites are the biggest, and the Vatican has paid shut consideration to the nation’s political difficulties. In August, Leo despatched a message for a service commemorating the 200 killed within the 2020 Beirut port explosion, and it’s anticipated that he’ll commemorate the victims whereas in Lebanon.
An in depth itinerary of his journey has but to be launched, however journeys overseas are a possibility for the pope to train tender energy by addressing the nation’s political leaders, assembly church leaders and people of various religions whereas supporting to the native Catholic neighborhood.
“We welcome this historic event with great joy and renewed hope,” Lebanon’s Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishop stated in an announcement. “We hope that this apostolic visit to Lebanon will bring peace and stability and be a sign of unity for all Lebanese, Christians and Muslims alike, at this critical stage in our nation’s history.”
Meanwhile, Rev. John Chryssavgis, an adviser to Patriarch Bartholomew, advised Reuters that Leo’s go to confirmed he’s “seeking to express and affirm his identity as a Christian in a world of many different creeds, where all people, regardless of religion and race, are called to live together in mutual understanding.”
In his feedback outdoors the Villa Barberini, Leo spoke concerning the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas assaults on Israeli communities, saying efforts needed to be made to cut back hatred on the earth and that the church’s position is to advertise dialogue and search peaceable options.
“We need to think about how much hatred exists in the world and start asking ourselves the question of what we can do,” Leo stated, including that antisemitism is “worrying.”
The pope additionally responded to Israel’s Embassy to the Holy See accusing a prime Vatican diplomat of “the problematic use of moral equivalence moral equivalence” in an interview on the October 7 anniversary. Cardinal Parolin, whereas describing Hamas’ assaults as an “inhuman massacre”, additionally that the Israeli military is finishing up an “ongoing massacre” in Gaza.
“The cardinal expressed the Holy See’s opinion very well,” Leo stated.