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As Pope Leo prepares for his first foreign trip, a look at the history of papal visits
Joshua McElweeTuesday 25 November 2025 09:09 GMTComments
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Pope Leo will embark on his first trip outside Italy on Thursday, travelling to Turkey and Lebanon.
He is expected to make appeals for peace in the region and urge unity among long-divided Christian churches.
Leo, the first U.S. pope, will give his first speeches to foreign governments and visit some sensitive cultural sites as part of a crowded itinerary during the November 27 to December 2 trip.
His predecessor Pope Francis had planned to visit both countries but was unable to because of his worsening health. Francis died on April 21 and Leo, originally from Chicago, was elected pope on May 8 by the world's cardinals.
open image in galleryPope Leo XIV delivers his speech at the Pontifical Lateran University on the occasion of the opening of the academic year, in Rome (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)"A pope's first foreign trip is an opportunity to capture and hold the world's attention," said John Thavis, a retired Vatican correspondent who covered three papacies.
"What's at stake for Pope Leo is his ability to connect with a wider audience, in a region where war and peace, humanitarian needs and interfaith dialogue are crucial issues," said Thavis.
Here is a history of papal foreign visits, which have become a major part of the agenda for the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
POPE PAUL VI (1963 to 1978)
Pope Paul VI was the first leader of the Church to leave Italy in 150 years.
He made nine foreign visits, with the first a trip to Israel and Jordan in 1964. He travelled to the U.N. headquarters in New York in 1965, where he addressed the General Assembly in French, pleading: "No more war, never again war!"
POPE JOHN PAUL II (1978 to 2005)
Pope John Paul II, whose pontificate spanned nearly 27 years, made 104 foreign visits, logging well over one million km (600,000 miles) and visiting 129 countries.
Elected pope at age 58, he was known for energetic, non-stop itineraries and for emphasizing international diplomacy. On a trip to Asia in 1984, he made a stopover in Alaska, where U.S. President Ronald Reagan travelled to welcome him and discuss world issues.
POPE BENEDICT XVI (2005 to 2013)
Pope Benedict XVI, from Germany, made 25 foreign visits, largely to European countries.
On a trip to Germany in 2006 he caused widespread anger among Muslims by suggesting Islam was violent, quoting a passage by a 14th-century Byzantine emperor. Later that year, he made a trip to Turkey to foster reconciliation between Christians and Muslims. Benedict's last visit was to Lebanon, in September 2012.
POPE FRANCIS (2013 to 2025)
Pope Francis made 47 foreign visits to 66 countries, often choosing places with non-Catholic populations to highlight people and problems in what he called the "peripheries" of the world.
open image in galleryPope Francis (C) arrives with then Uganda president Yoweri Museveni and his wife Janet at the presidential palace in Kampala Uganda during his landmark trip to Africa (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)He was the first pope to visit Mongolia, Myanmar, South Sudan, and Iraq, among others. A visit to the Philippines in 2015 included the largest papal event to date, with crowds estimated as high as seven million for a Mass in Manila.
POPE LEO XIV (Elected in 2025)
Pope Leo, 70 and in good health, is widely expected to undertake many foreign visits.
A trip to Peru, where he served as a missionary for decades, is all but certain during 2026. Leo said he would also like to visit Portugal, Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina, in comments on November 18.
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