Vatican says ‘demanding’ six-day mission, which will also take him to Lebanon, will be packed with meetings with political and religious leaders

Pope Leo is making his debut overseas trip as leader of the Catholic church, travelling on a six-day mission of peace and unity to Turkey and Lebanon in what the Vatican said was expected to be a “demanding” schedule packed with meetings with political and religious leaders amid heightened Middle East tensions.

The Chicago-born pontiff, who was elected in May, arrived on Tuesday in Turkey, a country with a Muslim majority and home to an estimated 36,000 Catholics.