Pope Leo travels to Lebanon on Sunday to deliver an appeal for peace in a country repeatedly struck by Israeli air raids, completing the second and final leg of his first overseas trip as head of the Catholic Church.
The first U.S. pope arrives from Türkiye, where he spent four days warning that humanity’s future is in danger because of the world’s growing number of violent conflicts and condemning all acts of religiously motivated violence.
Leo is set to land at Beirut’s Hariri International Airport at 3:45 p.m. (1345 GMT). He will meet the president and prime minister before addressing national leaders, marking his second speech to a foreign government.
Lebanon, home to the Middle East’s largest Christian community, has been shaken by the fallout of the Gaza conflict as Israel and Hezbollah fought a war that led to a major Israeli offensive.
Lebanese leaders – already coping with 1 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees and a deep economic crisis – fear Israel may sharply intensify its attacks in the coming months.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Friday he hoped the visit would help end Israeli strikes. Lebanon’s diverse communities have also welcomed the trip, with Druze cleric Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna saying the country “needs the glimmer of hope represented by this visit”.
Pope to visit five Lebanese cities and towns
Leo, little known internationally before his election in May, is drawing close attention as he delivers his first speeches abroad and meets people outside mainly Catholic Italy.
On Saturday, he visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, his first visit to a Muslim place of worship as pope. He removed his shoes as a sign of respect but did not pray as planned, surprising Vatican officials.
The 70-year-old pope has a packed schedule in Lebanon, travelling to five cities and towns from Sunday to Tuesday, when he returns to Rome. He will not visit the south, where Israeli strikes have hit.
His programme includes a prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, which killed 200 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.
He will also lead an outdoor Mass on the Beirut waterfront and visit a psychiatric hospital, one of Lebanon’s few mental health facilities, where staff and residents are eagerly awaiting him.
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