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Pope’s unity appeal
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lebanon and urged the country to rise above violence and division, telling a Mass attended by about 150,000 people at Beirut Waterfront that “Lebanon, stand up. Be a home of justice and fraternity.”
“Pope Leo has called for “coexistence” during the second day of his visit to Lebanon, gathering clerics from across the religious spectrum on both sides of a former civil war dividing line, and appealing for unity in a region fractured by violence”
EWTN Vatican said the liturgy closed the final day of the pope’s visit to a nation strained by intermittent political paralysis, economic freefall and persistent instability, with the Waterfront carrying symbolic weight as land reclaimed from the sea with rubble from downtown Beirut destroyed in the civil war.
In Martyrs’ Square on Monday, Al Jazeera reported that Leo called for “coexistence” and said Lebanon showed that “fear, distrust and prejudice do not have the final word”.
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said the location highlighted the contrast between the image of interfaith unity and “this is a deeply divided country,” while the pope’s visit unfolded amid a broader regional conflict and ongoing tensions around Israel and Hezbollah.
Voices around the visit
Al Jazeera reported that Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, deputy head of the Supreme Shia Islamic Council, thanked the pope for visiting but warned Lebanon still bore deep wounds “as a result of Israel’s continued attacks”, according to local media.
In the same Al Jazeera account, Hezbollah welcomed the pope before his arrival and urged him to speak against “injustice and aggression”, referring to Israeli strikes, while praising Lebanon’s role as a bridge between religious communities.
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CNN said Leo told people to remain in Lebanon amid an “exodus of young people and families seeking a future elsewhere” due to “uncertainty, violence, poverty and many other threats.”
CNN also reported that Leo said, “We must not forget that remaining in our homeland and working day by day to develop a civilization of love and peace remains something very valuable,” as large crowds lined the streets to welcome him to the presidential palace in Baabda.
What’s at stake next
The visit’s next moments centered on Lebanon’s trauma and security, with EWTN Vatican saying the pope mentioned his prayer earlier in the day at the Beirut port, the site of the 2020 explosion, and connected that visit to broader national trauma.
“Pope Leo XIV touched down in Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Sunday with the hope of being a “messenger of peace” as he began a three-day visit to the nation at the heart of a Middle East battered by recent conflicts, just days after an Israeli strike on southern Beirut”
Al Jazeera reported that on Tuesday Leo would visit the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion before leading a mass on the city’s historic waterfront, while CNN said he would pray at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion that left more than 200 people dead and injured at least 6,000 others.
Fox News Digital said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told EWTN Vatican that “There is no specific concern related to the recent Israeli strike,” adding that “all necessary precautionary measures have been taken.”
Across the reporting, the pope’s message of peace and unity was framed against ongoing cross-border violence, with Al Jazeera saying Israel has continued cross-border strikes that have killed more than 300 people in Lebanon, including about 127 civilians, according to the United Nations.
