Just seven months after his election, Pope Leo XIV will set out on his first journey abroad. From November 27 to 30, he will visit Turkey, before continuing on to Lebanon, where his stay will last until December 2.

In this way, the American-born leader of the Catholic Church carries forward the international outreach of his predecessors. Today, papal travel is regarded as an essential part of the office, which is "hard to imagine without it," observes church historian Jörg Ernesti in conversation with DW.

There is great anticipation over the tone Pope Leo will strike on his first journey abroad and how he may distinguish himself from his predecessors. In Turkey, the pontiff intends to visit the capital, Ankara and the city of Istanbul. He will also travel to Iznik, some 100 kilometers to the southeast, where 1700 years ago the first ecumenical council of the universal church was convened.

In Lebanon, the itinerary includes the capital Beirut, as well as several small pilgrimage sites in the country's north. At the close of his journey, Pope Leo will pause for silent prayer at Beirut's harbor, where the 2020 explosion devastated entire districts, claimed nearly 200 lives, and shook the nation to its core.

Many Christians once lived in Turkey and Lebanon

A century ago, Christians formed a significant part of the population in both countries. In Turkey, roughly one-third of the inhabitants belonged to a Christian church, while in Lebanon the figure was more than half. Today, fewer than 1% of Turks identify as Christian, and in Lebanon, the presence has diminished to about 30%.

Turkey will soon become the first country apart from Italy to have welcomed five popes, a distinction that reflects its deep ties to early Christian history. In Turkey's Asian region lie important traditions and some of the earliest Christian communities.

In Istanbul, once called Constantinople, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, now 85, serves as the spiritual leader of global Orthodoxy. His church has endured decades of restrictions imposed by the Turkish state. Following the example of John Paul II (1979), Benedict XVI  (2006), and Francis (2014), Leo has chosen to come at the end of November, deliberately aligning his visit with the feast of the Apostle Andrew on November 30.  For Orthodoxy, Andrew holds a significance comparable to that of the Apostle Peter in Western Christianity.

'Restricted religious freedom'

Church historian Ernesti observes that Turkey provides "at best, restricted religious freedom." The impact has fallen most heavily on the Greek Orthodox Church, "severely diminished" since the expulsion of Greeks from Constantinople and Asia Minor a century ago, Ernesti said. As a result, the Ecumenical Patriarch remains limited in his role.

The visit carries particular weight, as the pope's first journey is to a country long shaped by Islam.

"Many in the Islamic world, especially in Turkey, feel honored that his first foreign trip is directed toward them," Jesuit Felix Körner told DW.

Körner, one of the most prominent Catholic scholars of Islam, speaks Turkish and spent several years teaching in Turkey. He believes that "Christian-Islamic dialogue has recently taken on an exciting new dynamic."

Across many countries, Körner said, a new generation of young Muslims has grown up with a sharp awareness that their political leaders exploit religion — particularly Islam — "to maintain power, at times brutally, as a prop for unjust systems."

Papal 'soft power'

For them, Körner explains, Pope Leo embodies "an alternative form of religious presence." He shows that faith can exert influence "through soft power" — through exemplary conduct, lived witness, kind words, or diplomacy — rather than "through hard power, state authority, violence, or corruption."

As a result, Körner notes, many of his Muslim acquaintances find renewed hope that religion can be practised in ways that transcend politicization.

For Pope Leo, the Lebanon stage of his journey carries particular weight, shaped by the country's remarkable religious diversity. Long defined by the coexistence of many faiths, and the absence of a state religion, Lebanon today counts more than 60% of its population as Sunni or Shia Muslims, while roughly 30% are Christians from various churches. Smaller Druze and Alawite communities also form part of the mosaic. Yet the balance is strained: Hezbollah, the Shia movement backed by Iran, remains a powerful and disruptive political force.

Ernesti explains how Lebanon's political system is formally structured to allocate power among representatives of its different religions, according to a fixed proportional arrangement. For this reason, the Vatican views Lebanon as "a testing ground for the success of coexistence among people of different faiths."

In matters of Christian-Islamic dialogue, Körner expects Pope Leo to seek rapprochement with Islam in a way distinct from his predecessor, Francis.

"Pope Francis's approach was one of friendship," Körner explains. He emphasized empathy and fostered dialogue through shared experience and strong relationships with Muslim partners. This spirit marked his journeys into the Islamic world, most notably his 2019 visit to Abu Dhabi, crowned by the globally recognized signing of a document of understanding.

According to Körner, Pope Leo shares many of the same priorities, hopes, and values as Francis. His style, however, is markedly different: "Much more structured, cautious, deliberate." As Körner notes, "Leo is a canon lawyer, and that is a great advantage. He will give lasting vitality to this growing understanding between Muslims and Christians by strengthening and creating enduring structures."

Körner believes it is fitting that, after a bold pope like Francis, a very different kind of religious leader now steps forward — one "who will shape this legacy into forms that promise genuine sustainability" and, in doing so, open the way to deeper cooperation among religions.

This article was originally written in German.

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