Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, opening a closely watched two-nation tour with an appeal for peace in a country still struggling with the fallout of the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The visit follows his stop in Turkey, where he began his first overseas trip since becoming leader of the Catholic Church in May. He landed in Beirut shortly before 3:45 pm and was received by President Joseph Aoun, the Arab world’s only Christian head of state, along with senior officials and cheering crowds.
Lebanon marked the moment with full ceremony. A red carpet, a 21-gun salute and children waving flags greeted the pontiff as ships in the nearby port sounded their horns. Along the route from the airport, residents gathered to welcome him. Zahra Nahleh, 19, who travelled from the south, said she hoped the pope’s presence would unite the country.
“The pope is not just for Christians but for Muslims too, and we love him a lot,” she said. “We want him to bless our land.”
Expectations are high in Lebanon, where the Christian population has thinned in recent years due to emigration and economic strain. The country has endured a series of shocks since 2019, including financial collapse, the Beirut port explosion and the destructive cross-border conflict with Hezbollah last year. The visit is the first by a pope since Benedict XVI came in 2012.
Leo will hold talks with President Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at the presidential palace before addressing government officials and diplomats. His message, according to Vatican officials, is expected to focus on reconciliation and stability.
Crowds also gathered in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah maintains a strong presence. Youth scouting groups affiliated with the movement waited along the roads, and posters of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah appeared near billboards welcoming the pope.
The group urged Leo on Saturday to condemn what it called Israeli aggression, even as Israel continues to carry out raids in Lebanon despite a ceasefire meant to halt last year’s hostilities.
The Lebanese leg of the tour follows a symbolic three-day visit to Turkey, where Leo met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and marked 1,700 years since the First Council of Nicaea with an ecumenical service in Iznik alongside Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I. He also celebrated mass in Istanbul under heavy rain before meeting an Italian-Turkish father whose teenage son was killed earlier this year.
The pope later visited the Armenian Cathedral, offering words of encouragement to Turkey’s largest Christian community and acknowledging its long, often painful history.
Leo’s four-day stay in Lebanon is expected to centre on interfaith harmony and the country’s search for a path out of crisis. The Vatican has framed the visit as a gesture of solidarity with a nation long seen as a model of coexistence, now fighting to regain its footing.