Pope Leo XIV is visiting Turkey and Lebanon on what is his first trip abroad since being elected in May. These are unusual destinations for a first papal visit. Turkey is an overwhelmingly Muslim country with very few Christians left. Lebanon has a much more significant Christian population, but the country is scarred by ongoing crisis and conflict. Just last week, Israel bombed Beirut and killed another high-ranking Hezbollah commander.

Turkey is a country with an often uncomfortable and dark past with Christians

Many expected the Pope to make his first visit to his hometown of Chicago, or perhaps to Peru, where he served as a missionary for two decades. Instead, he decided to follow the schedule made by his predecessor, Pope Francis, before he fell ill.

In the streets of Istanbul, the

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