Pope Leo XIV arrived in Beirut on Sunday, marking the second stop of his first overseas trip since becoming pontiff in May. The visit, coming directly from Türkiye, is being hailed as a moment of spiritual encouragement for a nation struggling with deep political and economic crises.
The pope was received with full state honours at Rafik Hariri International Airport by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi. Crowds lined the road from the airport to the presidential palace in Baabda, waving Vatican and Lebanese flags as the papal motorcade made its way through the capital.
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos said on social media platform X that Lebanon “warmly welcomes” the pontiff at a critical moment for the country, noting that more than 1,000 journalists are covering the visit.
“The visit brings great hope to a people struggling with crises,” he wrote.
Pope Leo’s three-day visit to Lebanon — his first as head of the Catholic Church — will include meetings with top political and religious leaders, as well as interfaith gatherings and public ceremonies aimed at promoting dialogue and peace in the region.
After a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Baabda, the pope will meet the country’s leadership, followed by sessions with civil society representatives and diplomats before retiring to the apostolic nunciature in Harissa, north of Beirut.
On Monday (1 December), Pope Leo will travel to the mountain town of Annaya to pray at the Shrine of Saint Charbel, a revered Maronite monk known for his miracles. Later in the day, he will meet bishops, priests, and pastoral workers at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, and hold a private meeting with Catholic patriarchs at the nunciature.
The pontiff will also join an interfaith and ecumenical gathering at Martyrs’ Square in central Beirut, bringing together representatives of Lebanon’s diverse religious communities. The day will conclude with an encounter with young people at the Maronite patriarchal complex in Bkerke, underscoring his call for hope and renewal among Lebanon’s youth.
On Tuesday (2 December), Pope Leo is scheduled to visit medical staff and patients at the Sisters of the Cross Hospital in Jal el-Dib and lead a silent prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, which devastated parts of the capital.
The historic visit will conclude with an open-air Mass on Beirut’s waterfront, expected to draw tens of thousands of worshippers, followed by an official farewell ceremony at the airport.
The pope’s arrival — his first to an Arab country since assuming the papacy — is seen as a strong gesture of solidarity with Lebanon’s Christian community and a broader call for peace and coexistence in a region still grappling with the aftershocks of conflict.
Pakistan and Oman called for restraint and diplomacy on Wednesday as they discussed the U.S.-Iran conflict, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and thre...
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at ...
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk...
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Thousands of young Georgians leave the country each year in search of better economic opportunities, with many moving west. As questions grow over Georgia’s European path, AnewZ spoke to people who have emigrated about what it would take for them to return.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
A 62-year-old man died on Wednesday after floodwaters swept his car into the sea on the Greek island of Rhodes, as torrential rain flooded roads, stranded vehicles and disrupted transport across the island.
A failure by the U.S. and Iran to reach an agreement on a UN-backed fertiliser shipping plan for the Strait of Hormuz within weeks could trigger a food security crisis in parts of Asia and Africa, a senior UN official has warned.
Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican says the tumour was detected during a routine health check, but its stage and whether it has spread remain unknown.
Greek students braved heavy rain to pitch tents outside parliament in Athens on Tuesday, demanding affordable housing and more education funding as rising living costs put university places beyond the reach of some students.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment