Pope Leo XIV will visit holy sites in Lebanon on Monday that attract Christians and Muslims as he seeks recognition of the country’s importance. Religious pluralism It is also a message to Christians not to abandon the region.
Over the past few decades, hundreds of thousands of Christians have left parts of the Middle East forever, driven by wars and the rise of Islamic extremists.
Liu arrived in Beirut on Sunday after a visit to Turkey that began on November 27. He challenged Lebanon’s political leaders to be true peacemakers and put aside their differences while seeking to give the long-suffering Lebanese people a message of hope and support for the important Christian community in the Middle East.
Lebanon, a Muslim-majority country with about a third of the population Christian, has always been a priority for the Vatican as a bastion for Christians throughout the region.
Despite the many crises that have afflicted the small nation, Christians in Lebanon still enjoy religious freedom and significant political influence. Since Lebanon gained independence from France in 1943, a power-sharing agreement has been reached, whereby the President of Lebanon is Maronite, the Speaker of Parliament is a Shiite Muslim, and the Prime Minister is a Sunni Muslim.
This makes Lebanon the only Arab country headed by a Christian.
Leo visits the shrine of Saint Charbel Makhlouf and the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon on Monday, north of the capital. These sites attract large numbers of Christian and Muslim visitors and pilgrims.
He is also scheduled to hold an interfaith meeting with leaders of other sects in central Beirut and meet with youth groups in the Maronite Patriarchate.
Here is the latest:
Pope Leo XIV opens his first full day in Lebanon with a visit to the tomb of a saint revered among Christians and Muslims throughout the region.
Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya to pray at the tomb of Saint Charbel Makhlouf, a Lebanese Maronite hermit who lived from 1828 to 1898. He is known today for numerous alleged miraculous healings that occurred after people prayed for his intercession.
Leo’s visit to the cemetery, the first by a pope, opens a busy day.
The first American pope in history will meet with Catholic priests and nuns at a shrine in Harissa and then chair an interfaith meeting with some Muslim leaders in Lebanon in Beirut.
He will conclude his day in Bkerke with a gathering of Lebanese youth. Leo is expected to encourage them to persevere despite the many crises and challenges facing Lebanon.
Leo arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, coming from Türkiye, where he made his first trip as pope. He concludes his visit on Tuesday with a prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion and a mass on the waterfront.