Pope Leo XIV walks as he is welcomed upon his arrival at Esenboga International Airport in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, marking the beginning of his first foreign trip. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

ANKARA (AP) — Pope Leo XIV arrived in Turkey on Thursday on his first foreign trip, fulfilling Pope Francis’ plans to mark an important Christian anniversary and bring a message of peace to the region at a crucial time in efforts to end the war in Ukraine and ease Mideast tensions.

Leo was welcomed on the tarmac of Ankara’s Esenboga Airport by a military guard of honor. Strolling along a turquoise carpet, he shook hands with Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, other officials and senior church figures from Turkey.

Later, he had a meeting planned with President Recep Tayyip

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