The Pope arrives in Lebanon carrying a message of peace

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Beirut on Sunday, carrying a message of peace to Lebanon, following a visit to Turkey that focused on dialogue for Christian unity.

The American Pope’s plane landed at Rafic Hariri International Airport, coming from Istanbul, on a visit that will continue until Tuesday to the multi-sectarian country with an estimated population of 5.8 million people.

Lebanon, which has long been viewed as a model of religious and sectarian diversity in the Middle East, has been suffering from successive crises since 2019, including an unprecedented economic collapse, a significant rise in poverty rates, and the deterioration of public services, in addition to the Beirut port explosion in 2020 and the recent war fought by Hezbollah and Israel.

An official reception ceremony was held for the Supreme Pontiff at the airport, in the presence of the Presidents of the Republic, the Government, Parliament, and clergy. Army artillery fired caliber shells to welcome his arrival. Ships anchored in the port of Beirut sounded their horns in joy.

From the airport, the Pope, who is the first pontiff to visit Lebanon after Benedict

The Pope’s visit to Beirut comes amid local fears of the expanding scope of the Israeli escalation in Lebanon, despite the authorities’ commitment to disarming Hezbollah, a year after a ceasefire took effect that ended a devastating war between the two parties.