Leo's final event for the day was a Catholic Mass in Istanbul's Volkswagen Arena for the country's Catholic community, who make up 33,000 in a country of more than 85 million people, most of whom are Sunni Muslim.

As Pope Leo prepares to visit northern Lebanon, Christian border villages in the south feel abandoned and struggle to rebuild after the war with Israel.

On his first foreign trip as pope, Leo XIV encourages Turkey’s Christians, government and Islamic leaders to work together for peace and unity.

Celebrating the vigil Mass for the first Sunday of Advent, Pope Leo gave the Catholics what he described as “resolutions” to work on this Advent: building bridges with other Catholics, other Christians and other believers in God.