(MENAFN) Pope Leo XIV will visit Lebanon and Turkey later this year, including a prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, the Vatican announced Monday.

This marks the US-born pontiff’s first international trip since assuming the papacy in May, following the death of Pope Francis. His journey begins on November 27 in Turkey, where he will participate in events commemorating the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a key moment in Church history.

During his Turkey visit, Leo will also tour Istanbul’s Blue Mosque and meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and religious figures, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, head of the global Orthodox Christian community.

On November 30, the pope will travel to Lebanon to meet President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and local clergy. He will visit the tomb of St. Charbel, Lebanon’s patron saint, and on December 2, he will hold a silent prayer at the Beirut port blast site, where more than 220 people were killed and over 6,500 injured in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions worldwide.

The last papal visits to the countries were by Benedict XVI to Lebanon in 2012 and Pope Francis to Turkey in 2014.

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