The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo XIV will make his first Apostolic Journeys abroad, visiting Türkiye from November 27 to 30, 2025, and Lebanon until December 2.

According to Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, the Pope’s trip comes at the invitation of both the civil and ecclesiastical authorities of the two nations. The visit to Türkiye will hold special historical and spiritual importance, as the Holy Father will make a pilgrimage to İznik (ancient Nicaea) to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea—a landmark event in Christian history that defined key doctrines of the faith.

The second leg of the journey will take Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon, where details of the itinerary are still to be announced. Bishop César Essayan of Beirut described the upcoming visit as “a great sign of hope” for a region longing for peace, expressing that both Christians and Muslims await the Pope’s message of reconciliation and human dignity.

Source: Vatican News

Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to Türkiye and Lebanon, with a pilgrimage to İznik (Türkiye) on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea

Orthodox Christian icon depicting Jesus Christ crowned as emperor, surrounded by four saints with halos, holding religious books, with Greek text at the top and a large scroll with Greek script at the center.

Thursday, 27 November 2025
ROME – ANKARA – ISTANBUL
07:40 – Departure by airplane from Rome Fiumicino International Airport to Ankara
12:30 – Arrival at Esenboğa International Airport in Ankara
OFFICIAL WELCOME
13:30 – Visit to the Atatürk Mausoleum
14:10 – Welcome Ceremony at the Presidential Palace
14:40 – Visit to the President of the Republic
15:30 – Meeting with Authorities, Civil Society and the Diplomatic Corps (Address of the Holy Father)
17:20 – Departure from Ankara
17:35 – Flight from Esenboğa International Airport to Istanbul
19:00 – Arrival at Atatürk Airport in Istanbul

Friday, 28 November 2025
ISTANBUL – İZNİK – ISTANBUL
09:30 – Meeting with Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Consecrated Persons and Pastoral Workers at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (Address of the Holy Father)
10:40 – Visit to the Nursing Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor (Greeting of the Holy Father)
14:15 – Transfer by helicopter to İznik
15:30 – Ecumenical Prayer Service near the archaeological excavations of the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos (Address of the Holy Father)
16:30 – Transfer by helicopter to Istanbul
18:30 – Private Meeting with Bishops in the Apostolic Delegation

Saturday, 29 November 2025
ISTANBUL
09:00 – Visit to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque
09:45 – Private Meeting with the Leaders of the Local Churches and Christian Communities at the Syriac Orthodox Church of Mor Ephrem
15:30 – Doxology in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George (Greeting of the Holy Father)
15:50 – Meeting with His Holiness Bartholomew I and Signing of the Joint Declaration in the Patriarchal Palace
17:00 – Holy Mass in the “Volkswagen Arena” (Homily of the Holy Father)

Sunday, 30 November 2025
ISTANBUL – BEIRUT
09:30 – Prayer Visit at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral (Greeting of the Holy Father)
10:30 – Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George (Address of the Holy Father)
12:30 – Ecumenical Blessing
13:00 – Lunch with His Holiness Bartholomew I at the Ecumenical Patriarchate
14:15 – Farewell Ceremony at Atatürk Airport in Istanbul