Mission: Dionysios Skliris
A rainbow dominated her sky after the rain in the early hours of Tuesday. The people had begun to flock to the port of Beirut for the Divine Liturgy presided over by .
Among them we see many scouts, boys and girls, but also economic migrants from the Philippines and Southeast Asia who work in . Even up to the last minute, excavators are laying asphalt to cover potholes filled with water from the storm. The site of Beirut’s port, where the service will take place, has a long-suffering history.
It was built from material from the debris left behind by the 1975-1990 civil war in a place claimed from the sea. In the same place, the explosion of August 2020 took place, which again plunged the country into a severe crisis. The rainbow matches Pope Leo’s calls for peace after the deluge of violence in the Middle East, for mental and material reconstruction through trauma.
Nicea-Lebanon: From the “homoousio” of the Godhead to the difficult human coexistence
In his inaugural address as newly elected Pope, Robert Prevost had chosen peace as his emblem, emphasizing that the peace of Christ is different from the peace of the world. Many had considered the subject of his criticism to be “Pax Trumpiana” and that Chicago-born Robert Prevost would be an alternative pole to Donald Trump.
But for his first trip as , in order to project again the vision of peace in its three dimensions: ecclesiastical, geopolitical and social. At Nicaea he promoted the first leg through her
Emphasis was placed on “omousion”, the term of the Council of Nicaea (325 AD), whose 1700th anniversary we celebrate this year. By this expression is defined the deep community of substance of the persons of the Godhead as a model for a single peaceful humanity. After the flight to lofty theological concepts, which try to theoretically synthesize unity and otherness, Pope Leo plunged into the political landscape of Lebanon, the country of a difficult human coexistence where at least 17 religious confessions try to find one, leaving behind the civil conflicts.
In Turkey, Pope Leo emphasized that the homogenization of the country based on the dominant Sunni majority would constitute a “debasement.” In Lebanon, by contrast, Leo found the wealth of religious and ethnic alterities in all their explosive bloom. At the same time, the Pope deals with social peace, the fight against poverty and social inequalities. At this moment, after all, the relevant circular is being drawn up, which will also include a reflection on the use of artificial intelligence, in a way that will not destroy the fragile social balances. The circular is expected to be ready by Christmas or early 2026 at the latest.
The avoidance of naming the parties involved
During the visit to Lebanon, there was a question about whether the Pope would name the parties involved in the war conflicts, such as , as well as what his attitude towards the Shia paramilitary and war organization would be in general. As a result, it is judged that Pope Leo follows in the footsteps of Pope Francis in ecclesiastical geopolitics, but has greater diplomacy in the sense that he avoids direct confrontations and has as his priority the removal of polarizations.
Pope Leo reiterated the Vatican’s longstanding position that the Middle East crisis will be resolved through the recognition of two states, including an independent Palestinian state. He acknowledged Israel’s opposition to this policy, but felt that the Vatican could act as a mediator. However, during his stay in Lebanon he avoided naming the parties involved in the conflicts, making general references and exhortations.
However, it was interesting that on Sunday, after landing at the Beirut airport, the Pope chose to drive through the famous “popemobile” through the areas of the Dahia district, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, between the airport on the one hand and the Christian and Sunni suburbs on the other, a district that is largely inhabited by Shiites and has become a stronghold of Hezbollah. The fact that Pope Leo was welcomed by, among others, Hezbollah’s al-Mahdi Scouts caused a sensation, with girls and boys lining up on either side of the road to greet the pontiff.
Hezbollah expressed its “deep respect” for Pope Leo and invited its supporters to join the events. At the same time, in a letter to the Pope, she asked for the condemnation of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, as well as the daily attacks. Hezbollah supporters held photos of slain leader Hasran Nasrallah alongside Vatican emblems as they welcomed the Pope.
Pope Leo therefore scrupulously avoided naming anyone involved in the conflicts, making general references to the controversy. However, he did not avoid passing through the neighborhoods where Hezbollah is dominant, while he could have chosen another route, possibly more complicated.
He did not, however, visit southern Lebanon, which has been hit the hardest. With his general references, Pope Leo may have disappointed both those who were looking for a reference to the conflicts with Israel, and those who were expecting a position against paramilitary organizations and militias. His priority was the support of the Christian minorities for which he considered it important to soften the divisions instead of intensifying them.
The meeting with religious leaders
On Monday morning, the Pope met clergy and pastors at the Sanctuary of Panagia Harissa, which is an emblematic place of pilgrimage. Later on Monday, he met Maronite Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim religious leaders, as well as Lebanese political leaders, and asked for a commitment to the success of peace efforts. About 15,000 young people were waiting for the Pope in the city of Bkerke where the seat of the Catholic Maronites is located.
He also met representatives of the Alawites and the Druze. “Let every bell ring, every ‘adhan’, every call to prayer and unite in a single soaring hymn,” he said, including Christian and Muslim symbols.
“Blessed are the peacemakers”
On Tuesday morning, Pope Leo visited a psychiatric hospital run by Franciscan nuns. He then prayed at the port of Beirut in the area, which was devastated in August 2020 by the chemical explosion that killed more than 220 people and injured around 6,500.
The site has strong symbolism, as it was built with material from the debris of the civil war, showing the possibility of rebuilding through trauma.
The prayer was silent and was accompanied by the laying of flowers and the lighting of a lamp. He then met survivors of the blast and distributed rosaries to them, while listening to their personal stories of how they are seeking justice for their lost loved ones. Then he arrived in the famous “popemobile” vehicle at the place that had been specially designed for the Divine Liturgy, where approximately 150,000 people had gathered.
The Divine Liturgy had as an emblem the phrase from the Sermon on the Mount “blessed are the peacemakers”, while the word “peace” was written on the background of the platform in dozens of languages with Greek having an honorable first place on the upper left. The Pope was received by Youssef al-Absi, Patriarch of the Melchite Greek Catholic Church, which is one of the 14 Greek Orthodox Churches in the East, which are subject to Rome, while maintaining a Byzantine liturgical formality.
Patriarch al-Absi thanked the Pope for the message of peace and joy he gave to Lebanon, recalling that Greek Orthodox Catholics make up the majority of Roman Catholics in Lebanon.
Pope Leo called on the people of Lebanon to put aside sectarian differences so that “this land can return to its glory.” He spoke of “disarming the hearts” and emphasized that Christians always cultivate an attitude of praise and gratitude even in the midst of extreme hardship. “Let us remove the armor of ethnic and political divisions, let us open our religious confessions in a mutual meeting and awaken our hearts to the vision of a united Lebanon, where peace and justice reign.”
The Pope extolled the beauty of Lebanon praised in the Bible, even if this physical and spiritual beauty is today “overshadowed by the poverty and suffering, the traumas that have marked the history” of the country. He referred to the “volatile political climate, the dramatic economic crisis”, the “violence and conflicts that awakened ancient fears”, but asked “to find the small sparks in the heart of the night” that “urge us to a common commitment for the sake of Lebanon”.
In his homily and address, the Pope described himself as a “pilgrim of hope in a war-torn Middle East.” He also addressed the international community, asking it to intensify efforts at dialogue and reconciliation.
He asked Lebanese Christians to show courage, talking about the affection and admiration with which the Catholic Church surrounds them, while he also spoke about original methods of overcoming divisions. He praised the sincere and authentic faith that is rooted in families and nurtured by Christian schools, while Christian movements respond to material and spiritual needs through charity and the promotion of the Gospel.
These shoots need to be cultivated and not succumb to the logic of violence and the idolatry of money or be led to resignation before the rampant evil. At the end of the speech, Pope Leo called on the people of Lebanon to bear their suffering and endure, relying on hope. “Lebanon rises,” he concluded. “Be a house of justice and brotherhood, a prophetic sign of peace for all the Levant.”
After the divine service, the Pope headed to Beirut Airport, where a farewell ceremony took place in the presence of the country’s Christian Maronite President Joseph Aoun. Before departing, Pope Leo called for an end to hostilities, but without naming any parties involved. He also greeted from afar the inhabitants of the areas of Lebanon that he did not visit, such as in the long-suffering south. “Peace is not only an end goal, it is also a path,” was his message. He described the people of Lebanon as “hardy like the cedars in the mountains of the country, beautiful like the olives in the plains and near the sea.”
