The pontiff begins a trip to Turkey and Lebanon on Thursday — the first foreign voyage of his papacy, and his biggest test yet.

Pope Leo will meet in Turkey on Friday with Christian leaders from across the Middle East, and is expected to urge unity among denominations divided for centuries during his first overseas trip as lea...

He began his six-day tour in Ankara by meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who praised the pope’s “strong stance” in support of Palestinians.