Pope Leo used his first trip outside Italy to warn that the world was seeing an unusual surge in violent wars, saying a third world war was being fought piecemeal and that humanity’s future was at risk. He delivered the remarks in Turkey during his first overseas speech since becoming leader of the 1.4 billion member Catholic Church in May. He said ambitions and choices that ignore justice and peace were destabilising global security and pointed to rising political, economic and military tensions.

Turkey was chosen as his first foreign destination to mark the 1700th anniversary of the early Church council that produced the Nicene Creed. President Erdogan praised the pope’s stance on the Pales-tinian issue, and Leo recalled raising the situation in Ga-za during a recent meeting with Israel’s president. The trip includes stops in Ankara, Istanbul and Iznik, with plans to meet Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and visit key historical Christian sites before continuing on to Lebanon.

The Vatican said peace will also be the focus of his Lebanon leg, where tensions have risen following Israeli strikes despite a year long truce. Lebanon hosts around one million Syrian and Pales-tinian refugees and remains in deep economic crisis, prompting local leaders to hope the papal visit will draw wider attention. Pope Leo, a former missionary in Peru who only joined the Vatican’s central administration in 2023, is making his debut on the global stage, with analysts watching closely to understand his geopolitical outlook.