LONDON: Pope Leo XIV’s first-ever foreign visit since becoming pontiff has been marked by messages of hope — and memes. Leo, who succeeded Pope Francis in May, becoming the first American to be elected to the highest role in Catholic Christianity, arrived in Turkiye on Thursday, before making his way to Lebanon on Sunday. Shouts of “Papa Leo” and “Viva il Papa” (“Long live the pope”) erupted along with cheering and clapping, inside and outside Istanbul’s Cathedral of the Holy Spirit as Leo arrived to begin his first full day in Turkiye on Friday.

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV is embarking on his first foreign trip, a pilgrimage to Turkiye and Lebanon that would be delicate under any circumstances but is even more fraught…

Pope Leo XIV has picked war-torn Lebanon as part of his first official trip abroad, aiming to call for unity and help preserve the country.