Pope to wrap up Lebanon visit with prayer gathering of 100,000

Pope Leo ends a three-day visit to Lebanon on Tuesday, concluding his first overseas trip as Catholic leader with an urgent appeal for peace in the Middle East and a warning that humanity’s future is threatened by the world’s bloody conflicts.

The first U.S. pope, Leo will pray at the site of the 2020 chemical blast at Beirut port and lead a large waterfront Mass expected to draw around 100,000 people before departing for Rome with his delegation at about 1:15 pm (1115 GMT).

Leo has repeatedly said he is on a “mission of peace” and urged Lebanon’s political leaders to persist with reconciliation efforts following last year's devastating conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, as well as continued Israeli strikes.

Pope urges faiths to unite to heal Lebanon

Leo, largely unknown internationally before becoming pope in May, has been closely watched as he delivered his first overseas speeches and engaged with crowds outside predominantly Catholic Italy.

During a meeting on Monday with leaders from Lebanon’s diverse religious sects, he called on Christian, Sunni and Shi’ite Muslim, and Druze figures to work together to mend the country after years of political paralysis, conflict and economic collapse that have driven waves of migration.

He urged them to demonstrate that communities of different traditions “can live together and build a country united by respect and dialogue”.

The 70-year-old pontiff arrived in Lebanon after a visit to Türkiye, the first leg of his regional trip.

‘Pain after pain’

Many Lebanese see the visit as a moment of encouragement.
Maroun al-Mallah, a 21-year-old landscape engineering student who volunteered at the Mass site, said the trip offered a rare sense of optimism.

“It was lovely to know there was a sign of hope coming back to Lebanon,” he told Reuters.
“Even in university, we just think what could come next. It’s just pain after pain after pain … especially after the third biggest explosion happened.”

The 2020 Beirut port explosion killed 200 people and caused billions in damage, but the investigation has been repeatedly stalled, with no one held accountable.

Leo is expected to pray at the blast site, lay a wreath at a memorial, and meet survivors and relatives of the victims. He will also visit a psychiatric hospital run by Franciscan nuns.

Lebanon — home to the largest Christian population in the Middle East — has been further destabilised by the spillover from the Gaza conflict and the war between Israel and Hezbollah, culminating in a destructive Israeli offensive.

The country is also grappling with a crippling economic crisis, compounded by hosting around one million Syrian and Palestinian refugees.

Copied