King Abdullah II of Jordan (on the left), his wife, Queen Rania (on the right), pay a visit to Pope Leo XIV (in the center) at the Vatican, on Oct. 16, 2025. (Screenshot from a video published by the American channel APT.)
The scene is amusing. As she posed for a photo with Pope Leo XIV, alongside her husband King Abdullah II of Jordan, Queen Rania turned to the Supreme Pontiff and innocently asked, "Your Holiness, do you think it is safe to travel to Lebanon?" Apparently surprised, the pope replied, in front of the cameras: "Well, we're going."
The royal couple was received by Pope Leo XIV for a private visit Tuesday afternoon in the library of the Apostolic Palace, the Vatican reported on its X account. The queen later expressed on her social networks the "honor" of being received by Leo XIV. Having married Abdullah II in 1993, she had previously met several times with his predecessor, Francis.
The Holy Father will make an apostolic visit to Lebanon from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, after traveling to Turkey from Nov. 27 to Nov. 30 for the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a major event in the history of Christianity, in what will be his first foreign trip since his election on May 8.
In September, Vatican sources had indicated that preparations were underway for this trip to Lebanon, without providing further details, sparking enthusiasm among Christian faithful in Lebanon, while Pope Francis had not been able to visit the Land of the Cedars. On Wednesday, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai told AFP that Pope Leo XIV will bring a "message of peace and hope" for the region.
