Pope Leo XIV to mark first international trip with Lebanon visit
Pope Leo XIV has been gearing up for his first international journey later this year with a trip to Lebanon, highlighting his wish for peaceful interfaith co-existence.
The visit would mark a significant moment for the first American Pope, who was elected as head of the Catholic Church in May, after the passing of Pope Francis at the age of 88.
Archbishop Paul Sayah, deputy to Lebanon’s highest-ranking Catholic leader, shared with the BBC that the official date has not been confirmed by the Vatican.
Discussing the Middle Eastern country, Bishop Sayah noted, “Lebanon is a multicultural, multi-religious country and is a place of dialogue. It’s one of the rare environments where Muslims and Christians are living together and respecting each other… so it sends a message to the region.”
The late Pope Francis’s first major journey outside Rome, to the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2013, which set the stage for his focus on migration and marginalised communities.
In recent decades, overseas travel has become pivotal to the papacy, allowing popes to connect with Catholics worldwide, spread their message and engage in diplomacy.
During his 12 years as pontiff, Francis visited 68 countries on 47 foreign trips.
Lebanon, home to more than two million Catholics, has long carried symbolic weight for the Church. A papal stop there would also place Pope Leo near the war in Gaza and the wider Israel-Palestine conflict.