The Latest: Pope Leo brings messages of peace and Christian unity on trip to Turkey and Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV visits Turkey and Lebanon on his first foreign trip, a visit that fulfills the late Pope Francis’ plans to mark an important Orthodox anniversary and bring a message of peace to the region at a crucial time for efforts to end the war in Ukraine and ease Mideast tensions.

In Ankara, Leo will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then travel to Istanbul for three days of ecumenical and interfaith meetings that will be followed by the Lebanese leg of his Nov. 27-Dec. 2 trip.

Leo’s main reason for traveling to Turkey is to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council. In 325 AD, that council hashed out the first version of the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that millions of Christians still recite each Sunday.

For the Vatican, Lebanon and its tradition of religious tolerance in the Middle East is a bulwark for Christians in the region, even more so after years of conflict and war that have shrunk Christian communities that date from the time of the Apostles.

Here’s the latest:

Pope Leo XVI has boarded the ITA charter flight that is taking him on his first trip as pope.

The Airbus A320 neo is heading first to Ankara, Turkey, where Leo will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and deliver his first speech. The papal delegation, with some 80 international journalists in tow, then flies onto Istanbul for three days of ecumenical and interfaith activities.

The American pope heads to Lebanon on Sunday for the second and final leg of the trip.

Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States and at least two journalists have brought pumpkin pies on board the flight to Ankara hoping to share them with the pope.