Pope Leo XIV. on Monday as part of his visit to Lebanon visited the Monastery of St. Maron in the town of Annaya near Byblos. In the monastery, he prayed at the grave of Saint Šarbel Machlúf – hermit and patron saint of Lebanon from the 19th century. According to the news site L’Orient-Le Jour, which reported on it, it was an unprecedented moment in the history of papal visits to Lebanon, writes TASR.
The Pope was welcomed to the monastery by the Superior General of the Maronite Order in Lebanon, Hádi Mahfouz, who then explained in French the life of Saint Charbel and his canonization in 1977. In a speech, also delivered in French, the Pope again called for world peace. “We ask for it especially for Lebanon and for the whole Levant. But we know well – and the saints remind us – that there is no peace without the conversion of hearts,” reminded the Pope.
To the Monastery of St. About three million visitors come to Marón every year, not only Christians, but also Muslims and non-believers from different continents. Another point of the Pope’s visit was a meeting with religious figures and active lay people in the Basilica of Our Lady of Lebanon in the city of Harísá. In the program for Monday, he also has an interfaith meeting in Martyrs’ Square in downtown Beirut, as well as a meeting with youth in Bkirki, near the capital.
Due to the Pope’s visit, the Lebanese authorities declared December 1 and 2 as holidays. Tightened security measures in the country also include road closures and a ban on any drone photography. At a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace on Sunday evening at the start of his visit, Lev called on Lebanese leaders to “dedicate themselves to the service” of the people with “determination and commitment” and urged reconciliation in a country whose divisions from the 1975-1990 civil war have not yet healed.
“Peace means being able to live together, in community, as reconciled people,” Lev said, pointing to the “exodus of young people and families” from Lebanon to abroad for a better future. But the Pope urged the Lebanese to stay in their country, where the economic collapse has worsened mass emigration since 2019, and to work for reconciliation.
Lebanese President Joseph Awn, who is the only Christian at the head of an Arab state, emphasized in his speech the need to “preserve Lebanon as a unique model of coexistence” between Christians and Muslims. “It is a duty to humanity… If this model were to disappear, no other place could replace it,” he explained.
The last pope to visit multi-confessional Lebanon was Benedict XVI. in 2012. Leo XIV. he arrived in Lebanon from Turkey, where he spent four days. Before leaving Istanbul, he attended prayers at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and a service with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on Sunday.
