Pope to visit Christian sites in Lebanon; encourages Christians not to abandon region
Pope Leo
In recent decades, hundreds of thousands of Christians have permanently left parts of the Middle East, driven by wars and the rise of Muslim extremists.
Leo arrived in Beirut on Sunday after a visit to Türkiye which began on November 27. He challenged Lebanon’s political leaders to be true peacemakers and put their differences aside as he sought to bring a message of hope to the long-suffering Lebanese people and strengthen a crucial Christian community in the Middle East.
A predominantly Muslim country where about a third of the population is Christian, Lebanon has always been a priority for the Vatican as a bulwark for Christians throughout the region.
Despite the numerous crises that have hit this small country, Lebanon’s Christians continue to enjoy religious freedom and significant political influence. Since independence from France in 1943, a power-sharing arrangement has been in place in which the president of Lebanon is a Maronite, the speaker of parliament is a Shiite Muslim, and the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim.
This makes Lebanon the only Arab country with a Christian head of state.
Léon visits on Monday the tomb of Saint Charbel Makhlouf and the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon, both north of the capital. The sites attract large numbers of Christian and Muslim visitors and pilgrims.
He is also expected to hold an interfaith meeting with leaders of other sects in central Beirut and meet with youth groups from the Maronite Patriarchate.
Here is the latest:
Pope Leo XIV opens his first full day in Lebanon with a visit to the tomb of a saint revered among Christians and Muslims throughout the region.
Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the Monastery of Saint-Maroun in Annaya to pray at the tomb of Saint-Charbel Makhlouf, a Lebanese Maronite hermit who lived from 1828 to 1898. He is known today for numerous alleged miraculous healings that occurred after people prayed for his intercession.
Leo’s visit to the tomb, the first by a pope, opens a busy day.
History’s first American pope will meet with Catholic priests and nuns at a shrine in Harissa, then chair an interfaith meeting with some of Lebanon’s Muslim leaders in Beirut.
He will end the day in Bkerké with a gathering of Lebanese youth. Leo should encourage them to persevere despite Lebanon’s many crises and challenges.
Leo arrived in Lebanon on Sunday from Türkiye, where he began his first trip as pope. He ends his visit Tuesday with a prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion and a waterside mass.
