Pope Leo XIV will make his first apostolic journey outside Italy next month, from November 27 to December 2, 2025. During this visit, he will be in Turkey and Lebanon.
Modern.az reports that this was stated in a press release from the Vatican's press service.
The schedule for the Pope's visit, which will begin in Turkey on November 27, has been published. Upon arriving in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, the Pope will meet with the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and then address representatives of the Turkish authorities, civil society, and members of the diplomatic corps.
At the end of the day, the Pope will depart by plane from Ankara to Istanbul, Turkey's largest city. On his first full day in Turkey, Friday, November 28, Pope Leo will meet with bishops, priests, deacons, religious priests, and pastoral workers at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Istanbul.
In the morning, he will visit the nursing home of the "Little Sisters of Charity".
After a short helicopter flight to Nicaea, the modern city of Iznik, the Holy Father will participate in an ecumenical prayer service at the archaeological site of the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos.
Returning to Istanbul on the same day, the Pope will meet with the bishops of the apostolic delegation. On November 29, Pope Leo will begin his day by visiting the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, famously known as the "Blue Mosque", followed by a private meeting with leaders of local churches and Christian communities at the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church.
In the afternoon, he will participate in a prayer service at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George, the center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. After the service, Pope Leo XIV will meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, and the two leaders will sign a Joint Declaration at the Patriarchal Palace. The day will conclude with a Holy Mass celebrated at the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul.
The Pope's schedule for Sunday, November 30, the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, will begin with a prayer visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral. That morning, Pope Leo will participate in the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George.
At the end of the Liturgy, after an ecumenical blessing, the Pope will have lunch with the Ecumenical Patriarch.
