Pope Leo XIV Concludes Historic Visit to Lebanon, Calls on Middle East to Overcome "Mentality of Vengeance and Violence"

Pope Leo XIV concluded his historic three-day visit to Lebanon, departing from Rafik Hariri International Airport after an official farewell ceremony attended by senior officials. This visit, the second leg of his first foreign tour following Turkey, provided a beacon of hope for a country grappling with crises and fears of renewed violence.

President Joseph Aoun, in his farewell speech, praised the visit, stating it "will remain etched in the memory of Lebanon and its people," and affirmed that the Pope carried a "message of peace and reconciliation" to a nation "small in size but grand in its message." Aoun added, "We heard your message and will strive to embody it... Our faithful people deserve to live."

For his part, Pope Leo XIV remarked that "leaving is harder than arriving," stressing that he would carry Lebanon in his heart and that his encounter with the Lebanese "will not end here." He spoke of his visit to the site of the port explosion, saying he prayed for the victims and carries with him "the thirst for truth and justice." The Pope is expected to meet families of the victims and survivors still demanding justice five years after the blast.

The Pope directed a powerful appeal to the region to cease attacks, unequivocally stating: "Weapons kill... but dialogue builds." He encapsulated Lebanon's mission by saying: "Lebanon is more than a country... it is a message."

During a mass he led at the Beirut seafront on Tuesday, attended by approximately 150,000 people, including delegations from Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, the Pope emphasized the Middle East’s need for new approaches to move beyond the "mentality of vengeance and violence."

In an earlier address before heading to the airport, he urged: "The Middle East needs new approaches to reject the mentality of vengeance and violence, to overcome political, social, and religious divisions, and to open new chapters in the name of reconciliation and peace." He also called on the Christians of the Orient to be "courageous," assuring them that "the whole Church looks upon you with love and admiration."

Before concluding his visit, the Pope held a silent prayer at the site of the August 2020 Beirut Port explosion. He also visited the workers and patients at the Hospital of the Cross in Jal el Dib, where he was warmly received. He pleaded with the nuns there "not to lose the joy of the mission" despite the difficult circumstances, stating: "What we witness in this place is a lesson for everyone... we cannot forget the weak."

The Pope had also met thousands of youth at the Maronite Patriarchate headquarters, telling them: "You are the present, the future is being formed in your hands, and in you there is the impetus to change the course of history." He further urged spiritual leaders to be "builders of peace," reject intolerance, and demonstrate that "unity, communion, reconciliation, and peace are possible" in Lebanon.