Pope Leo XIV announced on Tuesday that he will visit Lebanon from November 30 to December 2 as part of his first foreign trip as leader of the Catholic Church, describing the visit as an opportunity to bring “a message of peace and hope” to a country still reeling from years of hardship.

Speaking to reporters in Castel Gandolfo, the pontiff said his trip to Lebanon would aim to comfort a nation that has endured “one blow after another” since the devastating Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020.

“In Lebanon, I will have the opportunity to once again proclaim the message of peace in the Middle East, in a country that has suffered so much. Pope Francis wanted to go there too. He wanted to embrace the people of Lebanon after the explosion, after everything they’ve endured. We will try to bring this message of peace and hope," Pope Leo said. 

The Vatican said the pope’s visit to Lebanon will come immediately after his stop in Turkey, where he will commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a historic gathering that defined core Christian beliefs still recited in the Nicene Creed.

Pope Leo will travel to Iznik, modern-day Nicaea, from November 27 to 30 and is expected to meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of nearly 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians.