Overview

• Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï said the visit could occur anytime from now through December, with preparations in motion awaiting a Vatican decision and announcement.
• A Vatican spokesperson declined to confirm or deny travel plans, consistent with custom in which prospective host churches often disclose intentions before Rome.
• A Vatican official said a plan under study could link Lebanon with a late‑November visit to Turkey tied to the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, though no dates are set.
• Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has stated that Leo told him he wants to attend the Nicaea commemoration in Turkey, which may shape the sequencing of travel.
• A Lebanon trip would carry strong symbolism given its sizable Christian presence and tradition of interfaith coexistence, even as security and economic strains persist; the last papal visit was in 2012.