Pope Leo XIV makes historic first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon, marking 1,700 years since Council of Nicaea while supporting persecuted Christians.

Ahead of his visit, Leo shared a Thanksgiving message with NBC News encouraging all people "to recognize that we have all received so many gifts."

Blasts rocked two tankers from Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea near Turkey's Bosphorus strait on Friday, causing fires on the vessels, and rescue operations were launched for those on board, Turkish authorities and sources said.

ANKARA, Turkey — Pope Leo XIV encouraged Turkey to be a source of stability and dialogue in a world riven by conflict as he opened his first foreign trip as pope on Thursday, with a plea for peace amid efforts to end wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Much of the turkey's early history is shrouded in uncertainty, historians and etymologists say — which is particularly true of how the bird got its name.

In Istanbul, Pope Leo XIV will meet the patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church to show amity between two of the world’s largest Christian groups.