Pope Leo X arrives in Lebanon on peace mission

Previous visit to Turkey

Prior to Lebanon, Pope Leo spent four days in Turkey, where he warned that humanity’s future is threatened by widespread violent conflicts and condemned acts of violence carried out in the name of religion.

Warm welcome across Lebanon

Hours before his arrival, large crowds gathered along the roads from the airport to the presidential palace, waving Lebanese and Vatican flags. The pope is scheduled to meet with Lebanon’s president and prime minister and deliver only his second address to a foreign government.

Various religious communities also welcomed the papal visit. Prominent Druze cleric Sheikh Sami Abi Muna said Lebanon "needs the glimmer of hope that this visit represents." Security was heightened with reinforcements from the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces deployed at the airport.

Route through southern Beirut

Pope Leo’s motorcade will pass through Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area heavily influenced by Hezbollah and damaged by airstrikes last year. Hezbollah’s Imam Mahdi Scouts are expected to greet the pontiff along the route.

Visits across Lebanon

The 70-year-old pope, in good health, will visit five cities and towns from Sunday to Tuesday before returning to Rome. He will not travel to southern Lebanon, which has been repeatedly targeted by airstrikes.

His itinerary includes a prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, which killed 200 people and caused billions of dollars in damage. Pope Leo will also preside over an open-air mass on Beirut’s waterfront and visit a psychiatric hospital, one of Lebanon’s few mental health facilities, where caregivers and patients eagerly await his arrival.