Pope Leo arrives in Turkey on first foreign trip

Pope Leo XIV touched down in the conflict-ridden Middle East on the first international trip of his papacy.

ANKARA, Turkey — Pope Leo XIV touched down in the conflict-ridden Middle East on the first international trip of his papacy, urging peace and hoping to help the Catholic Church heal centuries-old divisions with other religions and denominations.

As his fellow countrymen celebrate Thanksgiving, the first American pontiff’s plate will be full on a six-day tour of Turkey and Lebanon that will be closely scrutinized. He plans to meet with religious and political leaders, lead Mass in both countries and try to provide a boost to long-suffering Christian communities throughout the region.

Ahead of his trip, Leo shared a Thanksgiving message with NBC News in which he encouraged all people “to say thank you to someone” and “to recognize that we have all received so many gifts, first and foremost the gift of life.”

Gifts were shared on board his flight to Turkish capital Ankara, including a pecan pie handed to him by an NBC News correspondent. Leo told journalists that along with other church leaders, he hoped “to announce, transmit, proclaim how important peace is throughout the World and to invite all people to come together to search for greater unity.”

Later, in his first overseas speech since his election in May to lead the 1.4 billion-member Church, Leo told Turkish political leaders that the world was experiencing “a heightened level of conflict on the global level, fuelled by prevailing strategies of economic and military power.”