Pope Leo will embark on his first trip outside Italy as the leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday, travelling to Türkiye and Lebanon, where he is expected to make appeals for peace in the region.
Leo, the first U.S. pope, will give his first speeches to foreign governments and visit some sensitive cultural sites as part of a crowded itinerary during the 27 November to 2 December trip.
His predecessor Pope Francis had planned to visit both countries but was unable to because of his worsening health. Francis died on 21 April and Leo, originally from Chicago, was elected pope on 8 May by the world's cardinals.
Leo goes first to Türkiye, from 27 November to 30, where he has several joint events with Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world's 260 million Orthodox Christians, who is based in İstanbul.
Peace is expected to be a key theme of Leo's visit to Lebanon, which has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East.
Leo will also visit İstanbul's Blue Mosque, his first visit as pope to a Muslim place of worship, and will celebrate a Catholic Mass at Istanbul's Volkswagen Arena.
The pope will also host an inter-religious meeting and lead an outdoor Mass on the Beirut waterfront. But Leo, visiting five towns and cities in the country, will not travel to the south, the target of Israeli strikes.
Iran’s army said it targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait with drone attacks. Tehran said the operations were carried out in retal...
Georgia has secured two major financial commitments this week, with one aimed at easing road congestion around the capital and the other at strengthen...
A Turkish-owned cargo ship was struck by a drone in the Black Sea after leaving a Ukrainian port, in the latest incident to raise concerns over the sa...
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the strikes as a "powerful response" to Iranian missile attacks targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East a day earlier.
Saudi Arabia said its overnight strikes on Iran-backed group targets in Iraq were carried out in self-defence and warned it would take further military action if the groups launched new attacks against the kingdom.
Thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming border security and prompting local authorities to call for a national emergency and military deployment.
A fire involving two gas vessels at Egypt's Damietta port has prompted conflicting reports over whether the incident was caused by a drone strike or an onboard technical fault. Egyptian authorities said there were no casualties.
Iran’s army said it targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait with drone attacks. Tehran said the operations were carried out in retaliation for recent U.S. strikes.
Thousands of people spent the night on beaches, waiting by fences or wading through the sea in the hope of reaching Europe, as an estimated 49,000 migrants crossed into Spain's enclave of Ceuta in just 24 hours.
Carlos Cordeiro, senior adviser to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has resigned with immediate effect in protest over proposals to sell a stake in the FIFA World Cup, calling the plan "a bad deal for football."
Ukraine targeted a warehouse belonging to Russia’s largest retailer, Wildberries, and an oil refinery overnight, while Moscow said its forces struck a ship carrying military cargo in the Black Sea.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 31st of July, covering the latest developments.
At least 18 coal miners have been killed and 14 others remain trapped after a powerful methane gas explosion caused part of a mining complex to collapse in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, officials said on Thursday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment