Lebanese 'do not give up’: Pope Leo shares message of hope during papal MENA visit

Pope Leo XVI shared a message of hope as he arrived in Lebanon on Monday, adding that the population has stood "firm in the face of adversity" during his visit.

Leo arrived from Turkey on Sunday on his inaugural visit abroad as pontiff, and took part in an inter-religious event in Beirut’s Martyrs' Square, alongside figures from Lebanon’s 18 officially recognised religious groups, including Christian denominations.

During the event, Druze Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna said the pope's visit "calls us to open the doors of love and mercy; Christian love and Islamic mercy, and close all the windows of intolerance and extremism, so that the voice of peace is stronger than the voice of war".

The head of the Alawite Islamic Council, Sheikh Ali Kaddour, also expressed "support for every initiative that promotes stability, revives hope in hearts, and encourages the Lebanese to engage in dialogue and understanding".

Earlier on Monday, thousands of people cheered and celebrated as Leo travelled in the popemobile up a winding road to a monastery in Annaya in the mountains north of Beirut, which hosts the tomb of Saint Charbel.

Authorities have designated Monday and Tuesday as official holidays and ramped up security measures ahead of the visit.

The pope called on Lebanon’s leaders to place themselves "with commitment and dedication at the service" of the people and urged reconciliation in a country whose 1975-1990 civil war divisions have never fully healed.

"Peace is knowing how to live together, in communion, as reconciled people," Leo said, also noting Lebanon's "exodus of young people and families seeking a future elsewhere".

His trip has been eagerly awaited in multi-confessional Lebanon, where the last pope to visit was Benedict XVI in 2012.

Addressing Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, the pope emphasised "blessed are the peacemakers" and that there is "special blessing if you can put the goal of peace above all else".

Speaking about the Lebanese people, the pope said they are a "people who do not give up…and always know how to be reborn with courage".

"Your resilience is an indispensable hallmark of true peacemakers," he added.

He further commended the role of women and their "tireless and patient commitment to preserving and building peace".

In a joint address with the pope, Aoun said that Lebanon was a "unique homeland, where Christians and Muslims live, different but equal".

The visit comes as Lebanon is still reeling from a six-year economic collapse, widely blamed on official corruption and mismanagement, and while many also fear renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah despite a ceasefire in November 2024 that sought to end more than a year of hostilities.

Israel has intensified strikes on Lebanon in recent weeks despite the truce, while the cash-strapped Lebanese government is under heavy US pressure to disarm Hezbollah.

The visit seemed to lift the spirits of many Lebanese who have suffered from years of turmoil, and who gathered to catch a glimpse of the pope.

"The pope is not coming today to perform miracles, but when thousands welcome him, especially with more than 1,300 journalists present, this will shed light on Lebanon and its situation and reality, the destruction and demolished villages," Father Khalill Alwan, the head of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, told The New Arab’s sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

On Saturday, Hezbollah issued a statement addressing the pope, where the group detailed the suffering of Palestinians in the face of Israeli aggression and the plight of the Lebanese due to sustained Israeli attacks.

Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, the Vice President of the Supreme Shiite Islamic Council, also issued a statement addressing the pope, which read: "We put the Lebanon issue in your hands, with your international capabilities, so that the world may help our country end its several crises - the first being Israeli aggression".

"We believe in the necessity of the establishment of a state, but in its absence, we were forced to defend ourselves in resisting the occupation that invaded our land..." he continued. 

During his visit, the pope will meet young people at the patriarchate of Lebanon's Maronite church in Bkerke, outside the capital.

He will also address bishops and clergy at a shrine in Harissa, located north of Beirut, where a giant statue of Our Lady of Lebanon overlooks the Mediterranean from a plunging hilltop.

Pope Leo’s visit will see him pay his respects at the port of Beirut, where an explosion on 4 August 2020 killed at least 218 people, before he departs for Rome.