Pope Leo XIV will travel to Turkey and Lebanon in a six-day trip beginning late November, his first voyage since becoming head of the Catholic Church, the Vatican said Tuesday
The 70-year-old American is expected in Turkey from November 27-30, a visit that “will include a pilgrimage to Iznik on the occasion of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a brief statement.
A subsequent trip to Lebanon will take place from November 30 to December 2, he said, adding that an itinerary would come later.
Leo said in July he hoped to visit Iznik for the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea this year, a milestone in church history.
That trip was supposed to have been made in May by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who d!ed April 21 at the age of 88.
Nicaea, which is now the city of Iznik and is located 100 kilometres (62 miles) southeast of Istanbul, hosted the first ecumenical council in Christian history in 325 AD.
Convened by Emperor Constantine, the council was the first to bring together Christian bishops from across the Roman Empire.
It laid the foundations for the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that intended to exclude certain so-called heresies.
The creed confirmed there was one God who exists in three persons — the Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit — which remains the cornerstone doctrine for most Christian denominations.
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Safe trip