As Pope Leo prepares to visit northern Lebanon, Christian border villages in the south feel abandoned and struggle to rebuild after the war with Israel.

Pope Leo XIV wraps up a four-day trip to Turkey Sunday after a warm welcome by its tiny Christian community, before heading to Lebanon with a message of peace for

Pope Leo XIV is set to arrive in Lebanon on Sunday, continuing his first foreign trip since his election as pontiff. The visit follows three days in Turkey and is seen as a sign of hope for peace and stability in a country ravaged by war and crises.

Pope Leo XIV opened his first full day in Turkey on Friday by meeting with its tiny Catholic community, greeted by cheers and applause as he embarked on a day meant to bolster Christians around the world and pursue their centuries-old quest for unity.

Pope Leo XIV joined Eastern and Western patriarchs and priests Friday in commemorating an important anniversary in Christian history, gathering at the site in Turkey of an unprecedented A.D. 325 meeting of bishops to pray that Christians might once again be united.

Father Mike Schmitz reacts to Pope Leo's visit to Turkey, the resurgence of faith among Gen Z following Charlie Kirk's assassination and the goal of having unity among Christians.

Pope Leo XIV encouraged Turkey to be a source of stability and dialogue in a world riven by conflict, as he opened his first foreign trip as pope on Thursday with a plea for peace amid efforts to end wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Leo paid tribute to the country's tiny Catholic community and also visited a group of nuns, the Little Sisters of the Poor, who run a nursing home in Istanbul.