Pope Leo XIV is being considered for a visit to Lebanon as a potential early official trip that would carry symbolic weight for peace and interfaith coexistence. Archbishop Paul Sayah said the Vatican is studying a visit while Maronite patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rai indicated preparations are underway for a possible trip by December, though no Vatican date has been confirmed. The Patriarchy will not release details until the Vatican announces them, and the Vatican press office declined to comment. A first major trip can set the tone for a papacy, and a commemorative Turkey trip also remains in planning.
Sayah spoke to The Post after Rai told Al Arabiya television on Wednesday that preparations were 'underway' for a visit by Leo that would occur by December. Rai told the outlet that the Vatican had yet to confirm a date. 'There still needs to be a decision from the Vatican on when the visit will take place,' he said. The Vatican press office declined to comment.
Since Leo became pope in May, speculation has raged over his first major trip, in part because such visits can set a tone for a new papacy. The first significant trip beyond the Rome area by his predecessor, Pope Francis, for instance, was to the Italian island of Lampedusa in July 2013 to highlight the plight of migrants - a subject that became a driving theme of his papacy until his death in April.
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