Ashley Noronha joined John Morales on Morning Air to reflect on Pope Leo’s first apostolic journey, a pilgrimage that carried him from the historic soil of Turkey to the wounded yet hopeful heart of Lebanon. The journey unfolded as a living testament to the Church’s mission of unity, fraternity, and steadfast hope in Christ.
The Holy Father began his travels in Turkey during the commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. That council offered the early Church a clear and unified profession of faith in the Nicene Creed, and Pope Leo’s presence in Turkey recalled that same desire for unity among Christians today. His meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Muslim majority community, and the small but vibrant Catholic minority all reflected his conviction that mutual respect and patient dialogue help communities recognize one another as gifts rather than threats.
A particularly significant moment of the visit came when Pope Leo met with Patriarch Bartholomew I of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Their time together represented a sincere effort to heal centuries of division. By drawing near with humility and charity, Pope Leo sought to honor the ancient Christian heritage shared by East and West and to encourage the faithful to pray and work for a unity rooted in truth and love.
From Turkey, the Pope traveled to Lebanon, a land marked by profound beauty and profound suffering. Years of terrorism, political upheaval, and economic collapse have left the nation weary. In the face of this hardship, Pope Leo proclaimed that peace is not merely an ideal but a vocation. It is received from God, cultivated with courage, and built through the patient labor of reconciliation. He urged both civic leaders and Church leaders to give priority to justice and to remain close to the vulnerable, reminding them that the measure of a society is found in its care for those who suffer.
The Holy Father’s pilgrimage included visits to the Shrine of St. Charbel Makhlouf and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon, where he prayed for healing and renewal in the country. At an interfaith gathering in Martyr’s Square, he encouraged the Lebanese people to see their religious diversity not as a cause for division but as a call to become a beacon of hope for the entire region. The Pope made an appeal to the youth of Lebanon, acknowledging the uncertainty that drives many young people to leave the country. He encouraged them to remain, to root themselves in their homeland, and to become builders of peace for future generations.
On his final day, Pope Leo visited the site of the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion. There, surrounded by the scars of tragedy, he prayed with the people and celebrated an open-air Mass attended by tens of thousands. In that place of loss, he lifted the eyes of the faithful toward the promise of Christ, who alone strengthens the weary and restores the broken.
Pope Leo’s first apostolic journey offered the world a clear witness to the Gospel’s call for unity and the Church’s unwavering hope that peace, grounded in the love of Christ, can take root even in the most troubled places.