Pontiff calls on Levantine Christians to be ‘courageous’ and ‘artisans of peace’ Pope Leo XIV urged Lebanon’s diverse communities to come together to address the country’s many challenges, speaking at a mass attended by tens of thousands of people in Beirut.
The Catholic leader appealed to the Lebanese people to set aside political and sectarian divisions and confront the years of conflict, paralysis and economic hardship facing the country.
“We must unite our efforts so that this land can return to its glory,” Leo said to a crowd of 150,000 people, around three percent of Lebanon’s population.
Pope Leo on Tuesday was concluding his first overseas trip, which began in Turkey and ended with a three-day visit to Lebanon.
He arrived in Lebanon on Sunday evening to a rockstar welcome. Thousands from all religious backgrounds lined the streets to greet him, waving Vatican flags, ululating and tossing rice in celebration despite occasional rain as his motorcade passed.
He met Lebanon’s religious and political leaders on Monday, urging them to work together to help heal the country and remain committed to peace efforts after last year’s devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as ongoing Israeli strikes and occupation of southern Lebanon.
At Beirut’s waterfront, Leo led the mass hours after praying at the site of the 2020 chemical port explosion that killed more than 220 people, injured over 6,500 and destroyed large parts of the city
