Pope Leo XIV in front of the Apostolic Palace at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, 40 km southeast of Rome, on July 20, 2025. (Credit: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)
While some local media reported this weekend a possible visit by Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon next November, none of the official sources contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour on Monday confirmed it.
A source at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki said that “anything is possible,” while noting that “no official notice has been received from the Holy See.” “As long as the Vatican has not communicated anything, these are just speculations,” the source added. The presidential palace in Baabda, when reached for comment, also said it had “no confirmation so far.” The Vatican embassy in Lebanon likewise indicated it had no information about such a visit. The Vatican’s official website does not mention any scheduled trip to Lebanon.
Pope Leo XIV also expressed, on July 17, during an audience at Castel Gandolfo, his intention to visit Turkey by the end of 2025, on the occasion of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, celebrated in Iznik, according to Reuters. This would mark his first trip abroad, continuing a plan started by his predecessor, Pope Francis. Francis had repeatedly expressed his desire to visit Beirut — still marked by the visits of Benedict XVI in 2012 and John Paul II in 1997 — once “conditions are met.” However, recurring health problems repeatedly postponed a possible trip to Lebanon, and he did not have the chance to visit Lebanon before his death on April 21.
