Leo undertook the tour "in a spirit of reflection and listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer," the Vatican said.

America's first pope visits Lebanon during crisis, meeting Christian and Muslim leaders to encourage coexistence in the conflict-torn Middle East.

Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul's iconic Blue Mosque on Saturday but didn't stop to pray, as he opened an intense day of meetings and liturgies with Turkey's Christian leaders, where he again emphasized the need for Christians to be united.

Pope Leo urged leaders from Lebanon's many diverse religious sects on Monday to unite to heal the country after years of conflict, political paralysis and economic crisis that have prompted waves of migration abroad.

Pope Leo XIV arrives in Lebanon on the second leg of his historic first international trip as pontiff, visiting Christian communities amid regional tensions and ongoing crisis.

A monastery overlooking the Mediterranean will be one of the stops on Pope Leo XIV’s three-day visit to Lebanon, a country of complex sectarian politics and long-running conflict.

The best way to describe him is as the anti-polarization pope. His biggest issues are peace and unity. He knows he’s operating in a context where very few world leaders are talking that way. It’s not a collaborative world. He’s looking at a polarized landscape and responding to it.

During the Mass, Leo urged Turkey’s small Catholic community to forge “bonds of unity” with other Christians and people of other faiths as an invitation to become peacemakers.