HARISSA, Lebanon (CNS) — 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. The pope began Dec. 1 at the tomb of St. Charbel at the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya, a place known for its…
ISTANBUL (CNS) — 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. The key symbol of that was the pope’s presence at the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople Nov.…
ISTANBUL (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV, like his two immediate predecessors, visited the so-called Blue Mosque in Turkey’s capital; he spent about 20 minutes inside but did not appear to pause for prayer as Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis had done. Instead, he listened to Askin Musa Tunca, the mosque’s muezzin who calls people…
IZNIK, Turkey (CNS) — 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. Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople hosted the ecumenical…
ANKARA, Turkey (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV began his first papal trip speaking of dialogue, peace and thanksgiving — referring to both the holiday and his own gratitude. On the plane to Turkey Nov. 27, he wished a Happy Thanksgiving to the Americans among the 80 journalists traveling with him and told them, “It’s a…
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Thanksgiving is a “beautiful feast” that reminds everyone to be grateful for the gifts they have been given, Pope Leo XIV said. “Say thank you to someone,” the pope suggested two days before the U.S. holiday when he met reporters outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo before returning to the Vatican…