Pope wraps up Lebanon trip with visit to psychiatric hospital, silent prayer, and Mass

Pope Leo XIV visited a psychiatric hospital, the site of the 2020 Beirut Port blast, and held Mass in the city to a huge crowd on the final leg of his papal tour of Lebanon and Turkey.

The pontiff has been in the country since Sunday in what many Lebanese are describing as a historic visit, which has seen him make stops at some of Lebanon’s most important Christian shrines, meet with the heads of Christian, Muslim and Druze religious authorities, and send powerful messages of peace, unity, and reconciliation to the nation.

Lebanon is still reeling under the threats of a renewed Israeli offensive and a crushing financial crisis, with the Pope's's visit seen as some relief from these hardships.

'Blessed are the peacemakers'

Arriving in his popemobile at around 10:30 am, Pope Leo led Holy Mass at the Beirut waterfront, with a venue being prepared for weeks. Citing figures from Lebanese authorities, the Vatican's press service said some 150,000 people were attending the outdoor Mass.

It is the third celebration of the Holy Mass held by the Catholic pope in Lebanon; before him Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, and before that Pope Jean Paul II in 1997, while Pope Paul VI made a brief stop at the Beirut Airport in 1964 on his way to India.

The Tuesday Mass was attended by political and religious officials and the faithful, many of them dressed in white or wearing white scarves.

The pope donned a purple Pallium and made his speech in French on the stage, against a backdrop reading "Blessed are the peacemakers" written in several different languages.

The Bible verse has been the official slogan adopted by Lebanese during the visit, at a time Lebanon sits on the precipice of another Israeli assault on the country, and a rapidly changing region.

"O Lebanon, rise and stand tall, and be a sign of peace in the East," the pope told the crowd.

He said that the Middle East needed new approaches to rejecting violence and overcoming divisions, while urging Christians in the region to "have courage".

"I especially pray for beloved Lebanon. I ask the international community once again to spare no effort in promoting processes of dialogue and reconciliation," he said at the conclusion of the mass.

He also made "a heartfelt appeal to those who hold political and social authority here and in all countries marked by war and violence. Listen to the cry of your peoples who are calling for peace."

"Let us all place ourselves at the service of life, the common good and the integral development of people," he added.

"Christians of the Levant, citizens of these lands in every respect, I repeat, have courage. The whole Church looks to you with affection and admiration," he added.

Still no justice

Just before mass, the pope visited the nearby Port of Beirut, where he lit a candle and held a silent prayer, attended by some families of the victims and others from the public.

Footage showed the pope, accompanied by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, comforting some of the families of the victims at the port site that still show signs of damage wreaked by the blast which killed at least 230 people and injured thousands.

The port and swathes of the city were largely devastated by the 4 August 2020 explosion, caused by the haphazard storage of ammonium nitrate that detonated and caused by one of the biggest ever non-nuclear blasts in history, tearing through the capital.

The full details behind the catastrophe are still not known as the probe has been allegedly stalled by political and judicial actors, despite the man-made disaster widely believed to be the result of gross negligence, while others speculate foul play.

Families of the victims have held regular symbolic demonstrations outside the blast site demanding justice. Investigative Judge Tarek Bitar has vowed to go to the very end with the case despite hurdles.

In a post on X, Pope Leo said he was deeply moved by his brief visit to the port. "I prayed for all the victims, and I carry with me the pain and thirst for truth and justice of so many families, of an entire country."

'We cannot forget the most fragile'

The pope’s day had started at the Hopital Psychiatrique De La Croix, one of the largest mental disability hospitals in the Middle East, where he praised the work of nuns and staff.

Thousands line the streets waiting for the pope to pass by on his way to the facility in Jal el-Dib, a town in Beirut’s northeastern suburbs.

It was the first visit by a pope to the hospital, which was founded in 1919 and converted into a psychiatric hospital in 1937, then later into a hospital for people with mental disabilities in 1951.

"I wanted to come because Jesus dwells in this place: in you who are ill, and in you who care for the ailing – the sisters, the doctors, all the healthcare workers and staff," the pope said.

"I greet and thank the hospital staff; their presence and care for the patients are a tangible sign of Christ’s love and compassion."

The work being done in the hospital "stands as a clear reminder to all – to your country, but also to the whole human family", he added, stressing that it is important "not to forget the most fragile".

Sister Marie Makhlouf, head of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Cross, which runs the institution, broke down in tears as she addressed the pope. This hospital "does not choose its patients; it lovingly embraces those whom no one else has chosen", she said.

A special salute

Just before his departure to Rome, and as President Joseph Aoun, Salam and other officials bid him farewell, the pope referenced war-torn southern Lebanon.

Many Lebanese from the south had urged the pontiff to visit the region, arguing it should have been a priority. Organisers, however, cited the short duration of his stay in Lebanon.