Pope Leo XIV. (Credit: Hans Lucas/AFP)
At first glance, Pope Leo XIV appears not to have any notable connections to the Middle East. Elected on May 8 following the death of his predecessor, Leo grew up in the United States, earned his degree in Rome, and served the majority of his episcopal ministry in Peru. There’s no record of him having visited the Holy Land or attended a seminary in Damascus. And yet, it was this region that the new head of the Catholic Church chose to make his first foreign trip, visiting Turkey from Nov. 27 to 30, and then Lebanon until Dec. 2. While many observers see this as the fulfillment of his predecessor Pope Francis’s wish to travel to the region before his death on April 21, this alone does not fully explain his decision. In the news Everything you need to know about Pope Leo's mass in Beirut Catholic–Orthodox unity“Pope Leo XIV will use...
At first glance, Pope Leo XIV appears not to have any notable connections to the Middle East. Elected on May 8 following the death of his predecessor, Leo grew up in the United States, earned his degree in Rome, and served the majority of his episcopal ministry in Peru. There’s no record of him having visited the Holy Land or attended a seminary in Damascus. And yet, it was this region that the new head of the Catholic Church chose to make his first foreign trip, visiting Turkey from Nov. 27 to 30, and then Lebanon until Dec. 2. While many observers see this as the fulfillment of his predecessor Pope Francis’s wish to travel to the region before his death on April 21, this alone does not fully explain his decision. In the news Everything you need to know about Pope Leo's mass in Beirut Catholic–Orthodox unity“Pope Leo XIV...