Mois : novembre 2025

Upon landing in Beirut, Leo was received by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun; by custom, the office is always held by a Maronite Catholic.

For Lebanon’s Christians, the highest proportion of any Arab country, the visit also completes a long-held dream of Pope Francis, who repeatedly spoke of his desire to visit the country.

But a potential visit by the late pope was complicated by the overlapping crises that destabilized Lebanon in the back half of his pontificate: its 2019 economic collapse, the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people, the COVID-19 pandemic, the government’s collapse in 2022 and the Hezbollah-Israel conflict that erupted in 2023 and culminated in Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon in October 2024.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was struck in November 2024, but Israel continues to carry out regular strikes in southern Lebanon. 

How Leo calls for a lasting peace in the region during his visit there while maintaining the Holy See’s diplomatic neutrality will be closely watched.

Before Lebanon’s political leaders in the Baabda Presidential Palace, he called peace in the country « a work in progress » which requires resilience and a « continuous starting anew. »

« Almost everywhere in the world around us, a kind of pessimism and sense of powerlessness seem to have taken hold, » the pope said, but despite suffering economic turmoil, the effects of global instability and « the radicalization of identities and conflicts, » Lebanon has « always wanted, and known how, to start again. »

A wounded Lebanon welcomes Leo with open arms

While Leo’s three days in Muslim-majority Turkey unfolded quietly, Lebanon has treated his arrival as a national event. The government declared Dec. 1–2 public holidays, closing government offices and schools; from the moment he walked off the plane, cannons rang out in the distance announcing the pope’s arrival.

Hezbollah, the Shia Muslim militant group and political party that exerts immense influence in Lebanon, issued a statement welcoming the pope to Lebanon the day before his arrival and calling for him to reject the « injustice and aggression » inflicted on Lebanon by Israel.

Despite the steady decline of the Christian population in Lebanon, from 62.5% in 1970 to 32% today, largely due to emigration, enthusiasm for the visit has stretched across confessional lines. Banners depicting the pope were hung on buildings throughout the city ahead of his arrival, and at the airport where the pope arrived an airline hanger was draped with the motto for his visit: « Blessed are the Peacemakers. »

Whereas Leo’s Mass in Istanbul was celebrated in a modest arena, his closing Mass in Beirut is expected to draw more than 100,000 people.

Meeting a people marked by crisis

At his first event in Lebanon, Leo touched on the many crises facing the country, among them the lack of opportunity that drives out young people in pursuit of a better life. 

The Lebanese government estimates that about 15 million Lebanese live abroad, eclipsing its resident population of almost 6 million people.

« Uncertainty, violence, poverty and many other threats are leading to an exodus of young people and families seeking a future elsewhere, even though it is very painful to leave one’s homeland, » Leo said. « There are times when it is easier to flee, or simply more convenient to move elsewhere. »

But the pope said the challenge of « remaining in our homeland and working day by day to develop a civilization of love and peace remains something very valuable. »

« It takes real courage and foresight to stay or return to one’s own country, and to consider even somewhat difficult situations worthy of love and dedication, » he said.

Leo also highlighted the « essential role of women in the arduous and patient endeavour to preserve and build peace. »

« Their participation in social and political life, as well as in their own religious communities, represents a factor of true renewal throughout the world, as does the energy that comes from young people, » he said.

The pope’s remarks came as Lebanon continues to grapple with the aftermath of the 2020 port explosion, which devastated a largely Christian neighborhood and exposed the depth of the country’s entrenched corruption. A judicial investigation into the blast has repeatedly been stalled, and both Leo and Pope Francis publicly called for justice to the families of its victims.

In that context, Leo pushed Lebanon’s leadership to move beyond entrenched interests.

« The common good is more than the sum of many interests, for it draws together everyone’s goals as closely as possible, » he said « directing them in such a way that everyone will have more than if they were to move forward by themselves. »

Leo leaves Turkey, but Christian unity remains priority of pontificate

The pursuit of full communion among all Christians « is one of the priorities of the Catholic Church, » Leo said after attending an Orthodox Divine Liturgy presided by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during his final hours in Turkey Nov. 30.

« In particular, it is one of the priorities of my ministry as Bishop of Rome, whose specific role in the universal church is to be at the service of all, building and safeguarding communion and unity, » he said.

The pope began the day by visiting the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul, calling for the restoration of full communion between the churches, which, he said, « does not imply absorption or domination » but a full exchange of their gifts. 

Leo then traveled to Patriarchal Church of St. George to attend the Divine Liturgy. Afterward, he and Bartholomew offered an ecumenical blessing from the balcony of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s headquarters next door to cap off their three-day tour de fraternity in Turkey. 

The visit followed the pair’s joint prayer at the site of ancient Nicaea on Nov. 28 to commemorate the council out of which developed the creed professed by most of the world’s Christians. The next day, they signed a joint declaration pledging to pursue full communion between their churches and to advance efforts toward establishing a common date for Easter.

In his remarks at St. George’s Church, Leo also pointed to three shared challenges facing Catholics and Orthodox today: global conflict, the ecological crisis and the social impact of unregulated technological development, warning that new technologies must « be universally accessible » and not serve only « a privileged few. »

« We must strongly reject the use of religion for justifying war, violence or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism, » he added. « Instead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation. »

Looking out over the lake, Leo and Bartholomew stood before the ruins of the ancient Basilica of St. Neophytos, believed by some to have been the venue for the Council of Nicaea. The basilica’s sunken foundations were rediscovered in Lake Iznik in 2014 from aerial photographs and later excavated.

In welcoming the pope and other delegations, Bartholomew said that the power of Nicaea « does not reside in what passes away, but in what endures forever. »

« Having the fervor of the faith of Nicaea burning in our hearts, let us run the course of Christian unity that is set before us, » he said.

Both Leo and Bartholomew have expressed their desire to achieve full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, though questions around doctrine and nontheological issues remain obstacles.

At Iznik, Leo framed the council as one « of fundamental importance in the journey that Christians are making toward full communion. »

The pope’s decision to mark the council’s anniversary in Turkey, a trip originally planned for Pope Francis, signals the emphasis on unity he has developed early in his pontificate.

Turkey’s tiny Catholic community

While Leo’s first day in Turkey was dominated by meetings with political leaders in Ankara, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and an address to government officials, his second day shifted the focus to his role as a pastor. Before traveling to Iznik, Leo met representatives of Turkey’s minuscule Catholic community, visited a nursing home run by the Little Sisters of the Poor and had a private meeting with Turkey’s Chief Rabbi David Sevi.

At Istanbul’s Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, tucked behind an unassuming building front in the heart of Turkey’s largest city, Leo urged Turkey’s Catholics to not « look with resignation at how small the Catholic Church has become numerically. »

Only 33,000 Catholics are present in Turkey, making up just 0.04% of the population, according to Vatican statistics.

The  church’s true strength lies in the « logic of littleness » chosen by God, Leo said.

« It does not lie in her resources or structures, nor do the fruits of her mission depend on numbers, economic power or social influence. »

Though the pope’s first meeting with a Catholic community abroad was nowhere near the size it would be in a country with a large Christian population, the more than 550 people who filled the cathedral made their fervor felt, cheering and chanting as Leo entered the church.

The pope, usually calm and mild-mannered, was visibly moved. His eyes welled with tears, and his voice caught as he offered his opening blessing.

In his remarks, Leo drew a direct line between the council whose anniversary he would commemorate later that day and the challenges currently facing Christians.

While the Council of Nicaea rejected the heresy of denying Jesus’ divinity known as Arianism, the pope warned of a « new Arianism present in today’s culture and sometimes even among believers, » in which Jesus is « reduced to a great historical figure, a wise teacher, or a prophet who fought for justice — nothing more. »

« Nicaea reminds us that Jesus Christ is not a figure of the past; he is the Son of God present among us, guiding history toward the future promised by God, » he said.

Yet Leo was quick to note that historical formulas that express faith « are always partial and provisional and can change as doctrine is more deeply understood. »

He recalled how St. John Henry Newman, whom the pope named a doctor of the church on Nov. 1, « insisted on the development of Christian doctrine, because doctrine is not an abstract, static idea, but reflects the very mystery of Christ. »

Despite its small size, Leo also highlighted the church’s ministries in Turkey, especially its pastoral outreach to refugees and migrants — a major reality in Turkey, which hosts millions of displaced people from Syria and elsewhere.

Ministering amid a Muslim majority

For the small Catholic community living in overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey, Leo’s visit carried both encouragement and visibility.

Sr. Imurere Irene, a missionary of the Society of Mary from Rwanda who has served in Turkey for two years, told the National Catholic Reporter that the Christian community’s small size fosters a shared sense of witness.

Christians of all creeds in Turkey « are united, we try to help each other, » she said while awaiting the pope’s arrival in the cathedral. « We try, through our way of life, to show the Muslim [community] what Christianity is and to be witness[es] of Christ. »

Franciscan Fr. Paolo Pugliese, an Italian who has been ministering in Turkey for 10 years, said the pope’s visit has generally been perceived positively by Turkey’s Muslim community, « especially because of the commitment of the pope in spreading peace, in talking about peace. »

Both Francis and Leo « have been very clear in talking about peace for Gaza, and this was quite a clear sign for Muslim countries that allowed them to feel their closeness, » he told NCR.

The war in Gaza will linger over the next leg of Leo’s trip to Lebanon, which has continued to be struck by Israeli air raids in recent weeks.

Though Lebanon’s Catholic community is sizable, the Muslim community will be listening attentively to how the leader of the world’s largest Christian church calls for peace in a region consumed by interreligious tensions and conflict.

« I very much have been looking forward to this trip because of what it means for all Christians, but it’s also a great message to the whole world, » the pope told the journalists flying with him shortly after taking off from Rome, adding that he hoped his visits to Turkey and Lebanon will « announce, transmit, proclaim, how important peace is throughout the world. »

The flight marked the first international trip for a pope in almost a full calendar year, following Francis’ final trip to Ajaccio, France, last December.

And Leo’s differences from Francis already showed in the nearly three-hour plane ride to Ankara from Rome. He spoke almost exclusively in English during his greetings to journalists accompanying him on his flight, skirting the Vatican working language of Italian.

And his first words of greeting were to offer the Americans on board a happy Thanksgiving: « It’s a wonderful day to celebrate and I want to begin by saying ‘thank you’ to each and every one of you, » he said.

The first pope from the United States was also given quintessentially American gifts by some journalists: pumpkin pie, a baseball bat and pairs of socks and slippers from his favorite team, the Chicago White Sox.

At 70, Leo has also adopted a brisker schedule than Francis typically kept. Unlike his predecessor, the pope’s schedule does not include the large break in the middle of his days’ activities, as became the norm for Francis during his travels.

Pope to Turkish officials

The pope’s first visit abroad is to a country where Muslims make up some 99% of the population. Christians, by contrast, account for less than 1% per the Turkish government, with Catholics making up some 0.04%, according to Vatican statistics.

Speaking to government officials in Turkey, where the number of Christians has steadily declined since the early 20th-century and the country’s Muslim-majority has been greatly consolidated, Leo said that « uniformity would be an impoverishment. »

« A society is alive if it has a plurality, for what makes it a civil society are the bridges that link its people together, » the pope told government leaders at the Nation’s Library in Ankara. « I willingly assure you that Christians desire to contribute positively to the unity of your country. »

He also highlighted the growing contributions of women to Turkish society, noting they « are increasingly placing themselves at the service of your country and its positive influence on the international scene. » Supporting families and valuing « the contribution that women make toward the full flowering of social life » remains essential, he added.

Before addressing officials, Leo met privately with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ankara remains one of the few capitals maintaining active dialogue with both Ukraine and Russia, and the encounter came as the United States pushes for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.

Just a week prior, Erdogan had hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and suggested Istanbul could serve as a venue for direct talks between the warring parties. Welcoming the pope and members of the Vatican delegation, including officials from the Secretariat of State and cardinals involved in interreligious and ecumenical affairs, Erdogan said Turkey is « striving to offer the necessary support and contributions » to renewed peace efforts in Ukraine.

Turning to the war in Gaza, Erdogan praised Leo and his predecessors for their support of Palestine and a two-state solution with Israel. He also recalled the Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic parish in Gaza City, which killed three and injured 10, calling for full enforcement of the current ceasefire.

In his public remarks, Leo told the government officials that « today, more than ever, we need people who will promote dialogue and practice it with firm will and patient resolve. »

Global wars, « fueled by prevailing strategies of economic and military power » threaten the future of humanity by diverting resources away from the real challenges of humanity, namely « peace, the fight against hunger and poverty, health and education, and the protection of creation. »

The pope also stated that local policies and international relations must rise to the challenge of regulating artificial intelligence and other technological developments « that could otherwise exacerbate injustice instead of helping to overcome it. »

« Let us work together, therefore, to change the trajectory of development and repair the damage already done to the unity of our human family, » he said.

Pivot toward ecumenism

After his first day in Turkey, Leo’s trip will sharply pivot away from diplomacy toward ecumenical dialogue, developing another dimension of unity that the pope said was the impetus for his trip.

In Istanbul, Leo will begin his day meeting with those who tend to the miniscule Catholic community, estimated to make up 0.04% of Turkey’s population.

He will then travel to the site of ancient Nicaea for the primary mission of his trip: to pray with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians to mark the anniversary of the most consequential ecumenical council in Christian history.

While the climate plans that countries brought to Belém avert more catastrophic warming scenarios, those efforts are not enough to prevent a now-likely overshoot of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), a chief Paris accord goal.

« We have to accept that stepwise progress is not sufficient, » said Rodne Galicha, executive director of Living Laudato Si’ Philippines. « COP30 did produce some progress, but not the full, brave and strategic progress needed to care for the dignity of all and for our common home. »

An upcoming convening in Colombia to devise a phaseout of fossil fuels offered some hope to overcome impasses at the U.N. meetings, Catholic officials said. They added the deals that were reached at COP30 (Nov. 10-22) — tripling adaptation funding for developing countries and accelerating emissions mitigation efforts — offered some confidence that countries still could reach some agreements amid challenging geopolitical times.

« There was no illusion of an easy agreement among nations … but the final document took a step forward and created a progressive culture of solidarity among nations, » said Bishop José Reginaldo Andrietta of the Diocese of Jales, Brazil.

« The spirit of multilateralism, tested but not broken, proved resilient, » said CIDSE, a network of 18 Catholic development organizations mainly based in Europe.

Hundreds of Catholics representing 80-plus organizations and more than 30 countries — including eight cardinals and more than 40 bishops — were among the 50,000 registered delegates at COP30, the largest church contingent many participants could recall.

Guiding much of their time over the two weeks were three documents: a first-of-its-kind joint appeal from the bishops of the Global South, representing nearly 821 million Catholics; and Pope Francis’ decade-old encyclical « Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home » and his follow-up exhortation Laudate Deum « on the climate crisis. » In addition, Pope Leo XIV delivered two messages of his own to participants in Belém, lamenting « failing » political will and stressing urgent need for « concrete actions » on behalf of the millions of people vulnerable to catastrophic climate impacts like more extreme storms, droughts, wildfires and flooding.

« To them, climate change is not a distant threat, and to ignore these people is to deny our shared humanity, » the pope said in a video message at the midway point.

More than 300 Catholic organizations, along with five cardinals and 21 bishops, issued their own statement at COP30’s conclusion, representing « a Church ready to speak up alongside people and the planet. »

« As we continue this journey of ecological conversion, we ask for the grace to care more tenderly for creation, to walk in deeper solidarity with one another, and to grow in the courage needed to respond faithfully to the urgent challenges of our time, which affect us all, but especially women, youth, migrants, Indigenous peoples, and the most marginalized, » the statement read.

Fossil fuel roadmap impasse

By the end of COP30, 119 countries submitted new climate plans, known as nationally determined contributions, as required under the Paris accord. An analysis of 86 of those plans, representing nearly 70% of global emissions, found together they would cut global emissions by 12% by 2035, far short of the 43% reduction by 2030 that scientists say is necessary for a 1.5 C pathway. Temperature rise is expected to reach 2.3 C-2.8 C — improvement from the 3.5 C forecasts 10 years ago but still well off track from 1.5 C.

For the first time in a COP final text, nations acknowledged the likelihood of an « overshoot » of the 1.5 C target, which scientists forecast could come in the next decade.

The inevitability of surpassing 1.5 C, even temporarily, represents a « moral failure and deadly negligence, » said U.N. secretary-general António Guterres in his remarks at the world leaders’ summit Nov. 6 that preceded the official opening of COP30.

Much of the discussion at COP30 swirled around how to close the gaps in emissions and ambition.

Delayed a day by stalled negotiations and a small fire, the final package of deals, called the « global mutirão » — a term from the Indigenous Tupi language meaning « collective efforts » — urged nations to keep such an overshoot limited in time and magnitude. Nations also agreed to launch a Global Implementation Accelerator and other mechanisms « to keep 1.5 C within reach. »

A total of 86 countries, including the European Union, rallied around a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels, proposed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the summit’s early days. But the proposal, while never a part of the official agenda, was left out of the final texts, which under U.N. processes require consensus for adoption. Saudi Arabia, Russia and India led in opposing the fossil fuel roadmap.

Instead, André Corrêa do Lago, the Brazilian minister heading the proceedings, pledged to develop two roadmaps — one on phasing out fossil fuels, another on reversing deforestation — ahead of COP31 next year in Turkey, offering support to a meeting in Colombia and co-led by the Netherlands set for April around a proposed treaty to eliminate the use of fossil fuels.

Some Catholics see the Colombia meeting as a possible tipping point to overcome obstacles in the U.N. processes with 24 countries at COP30 committing to a just transition from fossil fuels.

« This may prove to be the beginning of a real solution, » Sullivan said, calling the countries a « multilateralism of the willing. »

Bishop Juan Carlos Barreto of the Diocese of Soacha, Colombia, and head of Caritas Colombia, said: « Continuing the debate on climate change without addressing the issue of fossil fuels in a direct and forceful manner is practically resigning ourselves to having financial discourse impose itself over the ethical imperatives of protecting the planet and defending humanity. »

The Laudato Si’ Movement, a lay-led network of 900-plus Catholic organizations, for several years has supported the prospects of a fossil fuel phaseout treaty.

« We really hope that the Holy See will use its political capital to put its weight now behind the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, » said Lorna Gold, Laudato Si’ Movement executive director.

« We feel there’s no time to lose now, and that the wind is in the sails of the citizens and in the coalition of the willing who are prepared to move forward with greater ambition toward tackling climate injustice, » she said.

The proposed roadmap to halt and reverse deforestation, backed by 90-plus countries, also gained momentum in Belém but too was left out of the final documents. A Tropical Forest Forever Facility launched by Brazil garnered $6.6 billion to compensate developing countries for forest conservation.

Countries in the final texts agreed to triple funds, to $120 billion annually by 2035 for developing countries to adapt to climate impacts and approved a set of 59 indicators to measure adaptation progress. They also committed to urgently ramp up climate finance to $1.3 trillion annually by 2035.

Budi Tjahjono, international advocacy director with Franciscans International, said many of the financial pledges are non-binding and should place greater responsibility on Global North countries.

« They should be accountable for their environmental debt toward developing countries, » he said.

Nations also agreed to develop a « Belém action mechanism » to facilitate just transitions to clean energy for workers and communities, and adopt a gender action plan to address the disproportionate challenges women and girls face from climate impacts.

The Holy See drew a chorus of boos during the adoption of the gender action plan over an objection, shared with several other countries, that references to gender be understood as only male and female.

The United States did not send a delegation to COP30, as President Donald Trump moves to again withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

Synodality in action at COP30

For more than two years, Catholics in Latin America and beyond prepared for the U.N. summit in Brazil, one of the world’s most Catholic countries. Many of those who journeyed to Belém were part of a meeting a month earlier with Pope Leo, where they pledged to bring hope to COP30 despite the state of the climate and flagging political ambition globally.

At COP30, Catholics held events, joined panels, observed official proceedings and advocated with country delegates. The Network of Catholic Climate and Environmental Actors devised strategies and unified messaging across Catholic organizations and also consulted with the 10-person Holy See delegation.

Many Catholics also attended the People’s Summit and joined in the first global climate march at a COP in four years, with organizers estimating 70,000 people in the streets of Belém. Indigenous groups brought a strong presence at COP30, with many arriving by boat as part of a flotilla. Indigenous protesters at varying points forced their way into the official « blue zone » and barricaded its entrance.

The Belém conference also introduced the Global Ethical Stocktake, an initiative by the U.N. and Brazilian government to elevate ethics and morals in climate negotiations, where scientific, technological and economic viewpoints often dominate deliberations.

The three cardinals who head the continental bishops’ conferences for Latin America, Africa and Asia presented their joint appeal for climate justice to U.N. officials. Likewise, the Laudato Si’ Movement brought to Belém more than 2,000 « people’s determined contributions » — a series of individual and community commitments to climate actions modeled as a complement to national climate plans.

The actions of Catholics in Belém demonstrated synodality in action, said Gina Castillo, senior climate policy adviser for Catholic Relief Services.

« I think a lot of groups left inspired by the role of the church in Brazil and in the Amazon, » Castillo said. « A church that is listening to the people — witness and walking with them — and advocating with them for justice. »

Gold said that Catholics displayed a powerful, unified presence inspired by Pope Leo and Pope Francis « to be leaders on this journey toward climate justice. »

Looking ahead to COP31, to be held in Turkey and led by Australia, Laudato Si’ Movement is aiming to complement the Holy See’s climate plan with a more extensive « Catholic determined contribution » in the form of thousands of plans submitted through the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform.

« If there are skeptics who thought that Laudato Si’ had somehow died with Pope Francis, the answer was loud and clear at COP that his spirit lives on, and our movement is embedded now in the churches across the world, » Gold said.