The announcement quickly sparked a media storm in both Lebanon and Italy: Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit Lebanon “by December.” According to Patriarch Rai, the trip would mark the Pope’s first journey outside Italy since his election. “We are waiting for the Vatican to announce the exact date of the visit,” he told Al Arabiya’s cameras on Wednesday. Lebanese journalist Dany Haddad went further on MTV’s website, citing presidential and patriarchal sources suggesting that the pontiff would arrive on November 30 for a three-day stay.
So far, no such details have been confirmed by the Holy See. In Lebanon, ecclesiastical sources noted that a papal visit had already been in preparation under Pope Francis, but was postponed due to both his health and the country’s chronic instability.
A source close to the Patriarchate emphasized that protocol requires papal visits abroad to be announced simultaneously by the Vatican, the local Church and the presidency of the host country. Until such a threefold confirmation is issued, the source cautioned, all that can be said is that preparations for a possible papal visit to Lebanon remain underway.
In media circles, the Holy See is believed to have held off on announcing the visit or confirming any dates out of caution. Vatican officials reportedly want to first evaluate Lebanon’s security conditions, considered essential for the safe and successful conduct of such a trip amid a particularly sensitive moment in the country’s history. This period is marked by ongoing Israeli raids on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, as well as the Iran-backed group’s refusal to disarm, despite decisions by the Council of Ministers (August 5 and 7) and UN Security Council Resolution 1701. That refusal has been accompanied by threats of mass street protests and warnings of a potential resurgence of civil conflict.
Even if the reports prove accurate, Lebanon may not be Pope Leo XIV’s first stop abroad. His travels are expected to begin in Nicaea (modern-day Iznik, Turkey), as part of the 1,700th-anniversary celebrations of the Council of Nicaea (325–2025). If it goes ahead, that visit would likely take place on November 30, the feast of Saint Andrew, acting as a prelude to the pontiff’s anticipated trip to Lebanon. Sources note that Turkey is still awaiting official confirmation of the Pope’s presence.
Aspirations for Unity and Interreligious Dialogue
Both visits are rooted in a profound, overarching goal: restoring unity between Catholics and Orthodox Christians. The significance of this unity has long been recognized by Eastern patriarchs and the faithful throughout the Middle East, especially in light of the upheavals following the Iraq war (2003) and the subsequent mass exodus of Christians from Iraq and, more recently, Syria.
For Lebanon in particular, Pope Leo XIV’s visit is expected to build on the interreligious dialogue achievements of his three predecessors, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. From Abu Dhabi to Najaf, and from Cairo, Ramallah and Jerusalem to Bahrain, these initiatives have fostered meaningful human and theological ties between the Catholic Church and Islam, striving to separate faith from violence and shield religions from political instrumentalization. Notable milestones include the Abu Dhabi Declaration on Human Fraternity, Global Peace and Living Together (2019), signed by Pope Francis and Ahmad al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of al-Azhar University, as well as Pope Francis’s 2021 visit to Ayatollah Sistani in Najaf, Iraq, the supreme authority for Shia Muslims worldwide whose perspectives sharply contrast with the expansionist Shia ideology promoted by Iran.
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon would also carry pastoral, social and evangelical dimensions, addressing relations among Christian political groups, supporting marginalized communities, promoting monastic life and visiting Lebanon’s sacred sites: the Holy Valley of Kadisha, the heart of Maronite monasticism, Harissa, Annaya and other major sanctuaries. An open-air Mass is expected to be the highlight of the visit.
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