ANKARA >> Pope Leo arrived in Turkey on his first trip outside Italy as leader of the Catholic Church today and was expected to make appeals for peace in the Middle East and urge unity among long-divided Christian churches.

Itinerary includes meeting with Erdogan; speeches expected to focus on peace, will be delivered in English; Vatican spokesman says security arrangements to be undertaken in Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV began his first trip outside Italy as Catholic leader on Thursday with a visit to Turkey, where he is set to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and appeal for peace in the region. The pontiff…