It will be a journey under the sign of peace and with this message, the Vatican announced. The pilgrimage will combine aspects of faith, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue and politics. It will also be the first foreign test for the new pope.
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When does Leo XIV's pilgrimage begin?
What is the slogan of the Pope's visit to Turkey?
Where will Pope Leo XIV meet the President of Turkey?
What will be the main message of Leo XIV's pilgrimage?
The first pilgrimage of Leo XIV. The expected appeal for peace
The main reason for the pilgrimage is the 1,700th anniversary of a fundamental event in the history of Christianity, the Council of Nicaea – the first meeting of bishops held in the current town of Iznik in Turkey. It was formerly called Nice. His most important legacy is his profession of faith, which is still followed by approximately 2.5 billion Christians.
A visit to Lebanon, one of the key countries in the Middle East, was added to the trip to Turkey; a country with high religious tolerance and at the same time one of the hotspots in the region.
This is an area of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and another reason for instability is the difficult situation of the population. After many years of civil war, Lebanon has not known peace in the following decades. In its south, attacks by Israeli forces on posts and bases of UN forces – UNIFIL – are intensifying. On Sunday, an Israeli attack in Beirut killed one of the leaders of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite organization.
The Pope is expected to make a strong appeal for peace throughout the Middle East, especially in the Gaza Strip.
The Pope will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who plays one of the key roles in relations between the East and the West and uses the strategic location of his country to strengthen its importance in NATO, in relations with the EU, as well as with Russia and Ukraine.
Leo XIV in Turkey and Lebanon. These are the slogans of the pilgrimage
The motto of the apostolic visit to Turkey is: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
Leo XIV will visit Turkey as the fifth pope. In 1967, Paul VI visited this country, and in 1979, at the beginning of his pontificate – John Paul II. Then he visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. It was an “unofficial and discreet visit” – it was explained years later when this news was revealed.
Benedict XVI was in Turkey in 2006 and Francis in 2014.
The motto of the visit to Lebanon, which will last from November 30 to December 2, is the words “Blessed are the peacemakers” from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. They contain the message of the visit: comfort for the Lebanese people, encouragement for dialogue, reconciliation and harmony between communities.
A detailed plan of Leo XIV's pilgrimage
On Thursday around noon, Leo XIV will arrive in the Turkish capital, Ankara, for a few hours. He will go to the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey and its first president, Marshal Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938). After the meeting with President Erdogan, he will deliver a speech to representatives of the authorities and society.
In the evening the Pope will arrive in Istanbul. On Friday, Leo XIV will meet with the clergy in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.
Then he will go to Iznik, the site of the Council of Nicaea, convened by Emperor Constantine I the Great in 325 of the first ecumenical council. He wanted to unite Christians and settle disputes, and his participation emphasized the growing importance of Christianity in the Roman Empire. In Iznik, the Pope will take part in an ecumenical prayer meeting at the lake, at the bottom of which there are the remains of an ancient basilica.
On Saturday, he will visit the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. He will also meet with the leaders of churches and Christian communities, as well as with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I – the honorary head of approximately 300 million Orthodox believers. In the afternoon, the Pope will celebrate mass at the local stadium.
On Sunday, the last day of his stay in Istanbul, Leo XIV will visit the Armenian Cathedral and take part in the solemn liturgy in the Orthodox Cathedral of St. George.
It will then fly to the capital of Lebanon, Beirut. This country was visited by Paul VI in 1964, and in 1997 by John Paul II. In 2012, Benedict XVI was there.
On the first day of his visit, Leo XIV will meet with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, and deliver a speech to the authorities.
On Monday, the pope will go to Annaja, a famous Christian pilgrimage center. In the local Maronite monastery there is the grave of Saint. Sharbel Machluf, a monk and hermit who lived in the 19th century.
Then, at the national Marian sanctuary in Harissa, Leo XIV will meet with the clergy. In Beirut, he will take part in an ecumenical and interreligious event, and then meet with young people.
On Tuesday, December 2, the last day of his visit to Lebanon, the Pope will visit a hospital in Beirut run by the Franciscan Sisters. He will also be at the site of the explosion in the Beirut port on August 4, 2020, in which over 200 people died and 7,500 were injured. were injured.
At the end of his stay, the Pope will celebrate mass on the coast. He will return to Rome in the afternoon.
