Pope Leo XIV ended his stay in Lebanon with what he termed “a heartfelt appeal: may the attacks and hostilities cease.”

Even in the face of difficulties and the constant threat of war, the young people of Lebanon and the country’s religious leaders have enormous resources that can build a better future for all people, Pope Leo XIV said.

At a shrine topped by a 28-foot-tall statue of Our Lady of Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV listened to stories of unshakable faith amid war, injustice and suffering.

Acknowledging the existence of “circumstances that are highly complex, conflictual and uncertain,” Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lebanon preaching peace.

On his first foreign papal trip, Pope Leo XIV showed reporters that the inflight news conferences of his predecessors would continue.

As he had done throughout his visit to Turkey, Pope Leo XIV spent his last morning in the country reaffirming the Catholic Church’s commitment to the search for Christian unity.

Celebrating Mass Nov. 29 in Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena, Pope Leo was joined by laypeople, priests and bishops from the Latin, Chaldean, Armenian and Syriac Catholic churches.

Pope Leo wasn’t just off in Rome, fitting us in on the list of “things to do” on his Friday afternoon (which, if you look closely, appears to also include a haircut, if his buzzed hair on Saturday morning is any indication of his after-NCYC plans). He was with us, live, and so happy to be there, and it truly felt like an in-person experience.

Although the ancient city of Nicaea lies in ruins and the geographic center of Christianity has shifted West, Pope Leo XIV and Christian leaders gathered at an archaeological site in Turkey to celebrate the enduring faith set out in the Nicene Creed.

Meeting leaders of Turkey’s small and varied Catholic communities, Pope Leo XIV asked them to embrace their “littleness” as they strive to be a leaven of God’s love in Turkish society.