Pope Leo XIV will be embarking on his foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon next week, which he says will provide a historic opportunity to promote Christian unity while bringing a message of peace and hope to Lebanon’s long-suffering people and the broader Middle East.

Leo will travel first to Turkey from Nov. 27-30, then Lebanon from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.

The trip to Turkey will include a pilgrimage to Iznik to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council.

The anniversary is an important moment in Catholic-Orthodox relations, since 325 A.D. Nicaea meeting predates the schisms that divided Christianity’s East from West and is accepted by Catholic and Orthodox churches alike.

In 325, the council hashed out the first version of the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that millions of Christians still recite each Sunday.

On Friday, Leo will commemorate the 1,700th anniversary with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians, at the Basilica of Saint Neophytos, the location of an ongoing archaeological dig.

The ancient city of Nicaea is known as present day Iznik, in northwestern Turkey located some 140km south of Istanbul, the country’s largest city.

Locals are proud of its rich history of having served as a capital city to Seljuk, Byzantine and Ottoman states and an important center during the Hellenistic Kingdom of Bithynia. Iznik is also famed for its colorful and traditional tiles and ceramics.

Residents of city say they are excited about Leo’s visit and hope it will serve to boost tourism.

AP video shot by Mehmet Guzel

Production by Ayse Wieting