Pope Leo XIV arrived in Beirut on Sunday to a sweeping official and popular reception, with Hezbollah's al-Mahdi Scouts playing a notable role in welcoming him along the airport road as crowds gathered across the capital.
The pontiff's three-day visit, his first to Lebanon and the first papal trip to the country since 2012, comes at a moment of political fragility and escalating tension along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Maronite Patriarch Bechara al Rai were among the senior figures who received the Pope at Rafic Hariri International Airport. The welcome extended beyond protocol.
Thousands lined the roads from the airport to Baabda Palace, where the Pope held his first meeting with Aoun. Among the most visible groups were the al-Mahdi Scouts, who staged a carefully choreographed reception that Hezbollah described as an expression of "deep respect" for the visit and a signal of the movement's commitment to coexistence.
The popemobile also passed through parts of Beirut's southern suburb - a Hezbollah stronghold, where crowds greeted him with fireworks, chants and portraits of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah held aloft beside Vatican flags.
Lebanese outlets reported that the scouts had formed part of a broader grassroots mobilisation by Hezbollah, which encouraged supporters to join the crowds along the route.
Dabke troupes, drummers and families waving Vatican and Lebanese flags filled the rain-soaked streets despite heavy weather.
For many Lebanese, the visit arrives with considerable emotional weight. The country is contending with the aftermath of the economic collapse, the Beirut port blast, and ongoing Israeli strikes in the south, with warnings of potential escalation if authorities do not move to disarm Hezbollah by year's end.
Sources in Beirut have suggested that Israel may intensify operations after the Pope departs, a prospect adding urgency to the visit's calls for stability.
Father Khalil Alwan of the Harissa shrine said the Pope's presence shines a spotlight on Lebanon's suffering and sends a message about sovereignty, accountability and the need for international pressure to protect the country from further destabilisation.
The Pope's itinerary includes prayers at the tomb of Saint Charbel, an ecumenical gathering in central Beirut, and a Mass expected to draw more than 120,000 people on the city’s waterfront. He will also visit Beirut port to honour the victims of the 2020 explosion.
Hezbollah, in a separate message to the Pope on Saturday, reiterated its support for convivencia, national sovereignty and resistance to foreign intervention.
It said Israel's continued occupation of Lebanese land and its actions in Gaza and the West Bank underline the need for international accountability.