LIVE UPDATES: Pope Leo XIV’s historic first papal trip to Turkey and Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV will depart from Rome on Thursday morning for his first international apostolic journey. The wide-ranging trip — spanning historic ecumenical encounters, deeply symbolic gestures of prayer, and pastoral visits to Christian communities under pressure — is expected to highlight the pope’s priorities of unity, peace, and encouragement across a region marked by both ancient faith and present suffering.

The papal plane will take off at 7:40 a.m. from Fiumicino Airport, bound for Turkey’s capital, Ankara, where the Holy Father is scheduled to receive an official welcome at Esenboğa International Airport.

Read more about what to expect during Pope Leo’s first international trip from EWTN News’ Elias Turk, traveling on the papal plane.

The upcoming visit of Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon comes as a new wave of Israeli bombings have shaken several towns near the southern border.

“We have been experiencing continuous attacks like this for almost two and a half years. But we have never evacuated, we have never left our village,” said Maronite parish priest Father Tony Elias from the border village of Rmeich, a Christian village located just a few meters from Israel.

Rmeich, he explained, is one of the largest Christian villages in southern Lebanon. “We cannot leave, because if we did, there would be no one to rebuild, no one to protect our village,” he said in an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Read more of the interview here.

Anticipation is building across Lebanon as the country prepares to welcome Pope Leo XIV. The visit is not without precedent, however. Lebanon has received two other popes in recent history — John Paul II in 1997 and Benedict XVI in 2012. Both trips are remembered as milestones in a nation marked by conflict and resilience.

As preparations intensify, many of those who witnessed previous papal visits are reflecting on their impact and the memories they carry — memories that shape expectations for what Pope Leo’s visit may bring.

ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, has the story here.

With the countdown underway for Pope Leo XIV’s first official journey outside Italy, excitement is building across Turkey’s Christian and wider faith communities. Ahead of the historic visit, EWTN News spoke with several individuals who shared their hopes, expectations, and reflections on what the pope’s presence could mean for the country.