Maronite Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay and other Lebanese Australians will be among those to welcome Pope Leo XIV as he makes his first international trip to Türkiye and Lebanon in late November and early December. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
The Pope will be in Türkiye from November 27 to 30 and in Lebanon from November 30 to December 2.
The visit to Türkiye will include a pilgrimage to İznik to mark the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. İznik, the site of the ancient city of Nicaea, is about 90 kilometres from Istanbul.
In Türkiye, Leo will meet Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world’s 260 million Orthodox Christians, for celebrations marking the council, which is a landmark for Christian theology.
The Pope’s itinerary in Lebanon has not been released, but he is sure to receive a tumultuous welcome.
The Pope is likely to participate in a commemoration of the catastrophic 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed 200 people. Lebanon has about six million people and has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East. It is the only Arab nation with a Christian head of state, President Joseph Aoun, who is a Maronite.
“The visit comes at a time of economic, humanitarian, and geopolitical turmoil in the region and stands as a profound sign of peace and hope, not merely for the Catholics in Lebanon, but for Christians and all people throughout the Middle East,” Bishop Tarabay said.
“[The Pope’s] decision to visit Lebanon during this first international trip is testament to his closeness to the struggling people and the vulnerable who have suffered deeply yet remain steadfast in hope … The Holy Father’s presence will bring comfort and hope renewal to the entire Lebanese nation.”
This will be the first papal visit to Lebanon since Pope Benedict XVI went there in September 2012.
“Pope Leo’s forthcoming visit reaffirms this deep affection, enduring hope and positive vision for Lebanon,” said Bishop Tarabay.
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Sydneysiders to welcome Pope Leo in Lebanon on his first international trip (By MIchael Cook, The Catholic Weekly)
