In his first official trip abroad, Pope Leo XIV's is due to visit Lebanon and Turkey on a trip.
Pope Leo, who succeeded the late Pope Francis in May, will arrive in Turkey on November 27. He will visit Ankara, Istanbul and the town of Iznik – once known as Nicaea and the site of an ancient Christian council.
He will fly to Lebanon on November 30. After meeting politicians and religious leaders, he will end his trip on December 2 by visiting the site of the 2020 Beirut blast and holding a Mass on the city's waterfront.
Here are some details of the Pope's visit:
November 27
Pope Leo flies from Rome to Ankara, where he meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials.
He also visits the mausoleum where the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is buried.
That evening, he flies to Istanbul.
November 28
After meeting clergymen at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul, Pope Leo flies by helicopter to Iznik.
A prayer service takes place near an archaeological excavation site in the town, which is marking 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea settled key aspects of Christian doctrine.
Pope Leo then returns to Istanbul for meetings with bishops.
November 29
The Pope visits Istanbul's 400-year-old Blue Mosque, also known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque. He then speaks to local Christian leaders at a Syriac Orthodox Church.
Later, he meets the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, who leads the world's 260 million Orthodox Christians. They are expected to sign a joint declaration.
That evening, he holds a Mass at the Volkswagen Arena, an indoor venue that typically hosts concerts and basketball games.
November 30
Pope Leo prays at an Armenian church and gives an address at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George.
After a final meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew, he leaves Istanbul for Beirut.
On his first evening in Lebanon, he meets President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and other officials.
December 1
The Pope prays at the tomb of Charbel Makhlouf, a 19th-century Lebanese saint, at a monastery in Annaya.
He visits the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, before returning to the Vatican embassy for meetings.
That evening, he holds an "inter-religious meeting" at Martyrs’ Square in Beirut, before speaking to young people in Bkerke, the seat of the Maronite church.
December 2
Pope Leo begins the final day of his trip by visiting a hospital in Jal El Dib, north of Beirut.
The Pope holds a silent prayer at the site of the Beirut port explosion, which killed more than 200 people and shocked the country.
He then holds a mass on the Beirut waterfront. After a farewell ceremony at the airport, he flies back to Rome.
