Pope Leo Plans To Visit Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV/DOK PHOTO via Instagram @pontifex

JAKARTA - A senior Vatican Catholic official said Pope Leo plans to visit Lebanon. This visit is likely to be the first visit of a new leader of the global church outside Italy.

"The Pope will visit Lebanon in December", Cardinal Bechara Rai told the al-Arabiya television channel.

Rai, the leader of the 3.5 million Catholic Church, did not give a specific date for the visit but said "preparations have been made".

A Lebanese official familiar with the matter confirmed discussions were being held regarding visits towards the end of the year, although the date had not yet been set.

Leo, the first US Pope, was chosen by the world's Catholic cardinals on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, who had planned a visit to Lebanon but could not attend due to health problems.

Lebanon is home to more than two million Catholics, according to Vatican statistics.

A Vatican spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Rai's statement.

A Vatican official confirmed the trip was being planned and said it could be part of a tour that would also cover Turkey.

Traveling abroad has become a major part of modern papality, with whales trying to meet local Catholics, spread faith, and conduct international diplomacy. These visits often attract millions of people.

Francis made 47 overseas visits during his 12 years of papality, visiting 68 countries. He implemented a policy of visiting countries that often did not attract international attention as a way to highlight problems in areas he called world "regions".

Leo is expected to visit Turkey in late November as part of the celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of the important early Church reconciliation, which took place in Nicea, now called Iznik.

In a message to Lebanon earlier this month, Pope Leo commemorated the fifth anniversary of a major chemical explosion in Beirut port that killed 200 people and caused billions of dollars in losses.