Leader of the Catholic church is on his first international trip as pontiff; before, he passed through Türkiye
The Pope prayed, this Monday (1), for peace in and in the Middle East, on the second day of his visit to a country of religious plurality, which is facing a severe crisis. The arrival of the pontiff provoked great enthusiasm among the Lebanese population, who live in fear of a new open conflict with .
Despite the November 2024 truce in its war against the pro-Iranian Islamist movement, Israel has intensified attacks against Lebanese territory in recent weeks. The government is also under pressure to disarm Hezbollah.
On Monday morning, Leo XIV visited the Annaya monastery, in the mountains north of Beirut, which houses the tomb of Charbel Makhlouf, a Maronite monk canonized in 1977 and recognized for uniting Christians, Muslims and Druze. Thousands of faithful welcomed him with applause and threw rice into the air as a sign of jubilation, as the popemobile followed the winding path to the monastery.
“For the world, we ask for peace. We especially ask for Lebanon and the entire Middle East,” said the pontiff inside the stone monastery, lit by candles.
On Sunday (30), Leo XIV asked the Lebanese to “remain” in their country, where the economic collapse that began in 2019 caused mass emigration.
“We are facing many economic, social and political problems,” commented Elias Abu Nasr Chaalan, a 44-year-old jeweler and father of two. “We need to have hope and unite as Lebanese,” he said, before highlighting that the pope has already managed to bring together the country’s authorities and religious leaders. “With our unity, we will be able to overcome difficulties.”
Leo XIV arrived from Türkiye on Sunday, on the second leg of his first visit abroad as pontiff.
Meeting with young people
After the visit to the Annaya monastery, he spoke to the bishops and clergy at the sanctuary of Harissa, also in the north of Beirut, which houses a gigantic statue of Our Lady of Lebanon.
The pope also celebrated an interreligious event in Martyrs’ Square, in the center of Beirut, before meeting with young people at the headquarters of the patriarchate of the Lebanese Maronite Church, in Bkerke, on the outskirts of the capital.
Authorities declared a holiday on December 1st and 2nd, reinforced security, closed roads and banned drone photography. Thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday to greet the pontiff, despite the unstable weather.
Leão appealed to government officials to assume “commitment and dedication to the service” of the Lebanese people. He also defended reconciliation in a country whose civil war (1975-1990) left wounds that have not been healed. “Peace is knowing how to live together, in communion, as a reconciled people”, declared the pope, who recalled the “exodus of young people and families who seek a future elsewhere”.
Despite the absence of official figures, the independent research center Al-Doualiya calculates that 800,000 Lebanese have left the country between 2012 and 2024. The current population is estimated at 5.8 million inhabitants, including more than a million Syrian refugees.
*With information from AFP
Published by Nícolas Robert
