The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Pope Leo will travel to Turkey and Lebanon in late November, marking his first international trip since becoming the new head of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion followers worldwide.

Leo, the first pope from the United States, will visit Turkey from November 27 to 30, before heading to Lebanon from November 30 to December 2. During the visit, he is expected to speak about the suffering of Christians in the Middle East and call for peace across the region.

Pope Leo assumed office in May, becoming the first American to hold the position of Pope of the Vatican.