As Pope Leo XIV embarked on his first apostolic journey outside Italy since his election, Detroit-area Maronite Catholics expressed joy, hope and prayers for a fruitful visit.

The pope’s weeklong visit to Turkey and Lebanon — two countries, as the Holy See has noted, of profound significance in the history of Christianity — comes during the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and a time of instability in the Middle East.

Tracy Saba, the media director of St. Sharbel Catholic Church in Clinton Township, noted the excitement among local Lebanese-Americans, many of whom are Maronite Catholics.

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Detroit's Maronite Catholics say pope's historic visit to Lebanon is 'meaningful' - Detroit Catholic

Metro Detroit is home to one of the largest populations of Lebanese-Americans in the U.S., including many Maronite Catholics