Pope Leo XIV arrived in Beirut on Sunday, seeking to bring hope amid the country’s economic uncertainty, political divisions, and tensions heightened by war with Israel. He called on Lebanon to begin a new chapter and urged its leaders to set aside their differences in pursuit of peace, emphasising that peace must be treated as a daily necessity rather than a distant aspiration.
Lebanon, home to the largest Christian community in the Middle East, is receiving the pontiff as he fulfils a long-held wish of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who had been unable to visit due to worsening health. Upon landing in Beirut with a Lebanese military jet escort, Pope Leo XIV was welcomed by President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and honoured with a grand ceremonial reception.
He then traveled in a closed popemobile to the presidential palace, passing through streets packed with crowds waving Lebanese and Vatican flags as dancers performed traditional routines and a light projection illuminated the palace façade. At the palace, he met briefly with Aoun, Berri, and Salam before ceremonially watering a cedar tree and signing the Book of Honour. In his inscription, he offered blessings to the people of Lebanon and prayed that peace would reign during his first official voyage as pontiff.
The pope, who had flown in from Turkey, also used the trip to reiterate to reporters his firm support for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, describing it as the only viable path to resolving the ongoing conflict and noting that the Holy See seeks to act as a mediating voice for both sides. He further expressed hope for diplomatic progress in Ukraine, praising Turkey’s role in facilitating dialogue, and noted that during his time in Turkey he attended prayers at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul and a divine liturgy with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.