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Leo embarks on his first international trip since becoming pontiff, with visits this week to Turkey and Lebanon.

Many Lebanese see the trip as an act of solidarity and hope for a battered nation.

The stop in Lebanon fulfills a promise by Pope Francis, who had intended to visit the country where about 30% of the population is Christian.

BEIRUT — When Pope Leo XIV visits the Middle East this week, he comes to a conflict-weary region struggling to find peace even as the specter of war stalks it once again.

In his first international trip since assuming the papacy in May, the Chicago-born pope will travel Thursday to Turkey, where he will celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the

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