Pope Leo XIV touched down in Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Sunday as he began a three-day visit to the nation at the heart of a Middle East battered by recent conflicts.
Crowds holding Lebanese and Vatican flags lined the streets awaiting the arrival of the first American pontiff to the presidential palace in Baabda, where Leo is soon due to address the country’s authorities and civil society.
Leo’s visit will offer support to Lebanon’s sizeable Christian minority, which has ancient roots in the country. The pontiff is due to meet political leaders and young people, take part in an inter-religious gathering and celebrate mass on the Beirut waterfront as part of the second leg of his first foreign trip since his election in May.
Leo is also expected to continue his calls for dialogue and unity at a time of heightened tensions in the region and just days after an Israeli strike on southern Beirut.
The strike, which targeted Hezbollah’s Chief of Staff, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, killed five people and injured 28, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
One stop on Leo’s tour will be the Monastery of Mar Maroun, or Saint Maroun, in the town of Annaya, high in the Lebanese mountains. There, he is expected to pray at the tomb of Charbel Makhlouf, a monk known for bringing people of different faiths together.
Credit: cnn.com
