The Pope concludes his visit to Turkey and travels to Lebanon with a message of peace

The Pope is expected to arrive at Beirut Airport, the Lebanese capital, in the afternoon. The two-day visit to the country of 5.8 million people marks the second and final leg of his first international trip since his election to lead the Catholic Church.

Lebanon, considered a model of religious coexistence, has faced a series of crises since 2019, including an economic collapse that exacerbated poverty, a major explosion in 2020 in the port of Beirut, and the recent war fought by the Islamic movement Hezbollah with Israel.

Despite the important political role played by Christians in the country, their numbers have declined in recent decades, mainly due to the migration of young people. Lebanon is the only Arab country in which the position of President of the Republic is limited to a member of the Christian community.

Leo

Today, Saturday, the Lebanese Hezbollah called on the Pope to reject Israeli “injustice and aggression” against Lebanon. The group lost its military leader in an Israeli attack on November 23.

Despite the ceasefire declared a year ago, the Israeli army has intensified its attacks in the country in recent weeks, especially in the south, claiming that its target is the pro-Iranian movement. The Lebanese Army committed to disarming Hezbollah in accordance with the armistice agreement.

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“In this period of bloody conflicts and violence, in places near and far, Catholics and Orthodox are called to be builders of peace,” he declared.

The Pope also praised in the Istanbul Armenian Cathedral “the courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people over the centuries, often in tragic circumstances.”

The Pope mentioned the sensitive issue of the Armenian genocide in this way without naming it. Türkiye strongly rejects this characterization of the massacres that occurred from 1915 to 1916 during the Ottoman Empire.

For Mardik Evadyan, an Armenian businessman who was at the cathedral, “Nowadays, it is not important to talk about genocide or not.”

“It is ancient history. We have suffered human losses and entire families, but we live in this country and we are happy with it. There may have been problems in the past, but at the present time there is peace,” he said.

In Türkiye, Leo XIV received a warm welcome from the small Catholic community. But his visit was secret, especially because of the large security arrangements that prevented any close contact with the believers.

Despite his busy schedule, he made time to meet privately with the father of Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi, the 14-year-old victim of a deadly attack in January in a popular Istanbul neighborhood that shocked Turkey.

On his first trip abroad, Leo XIV demonstrated wisdom, respected the political sensitivities of his interlocutors, and repeated messages in favor of unity and respect for religious diversity.

Lebanon declared a two-day official holiday on the occasion of his visit to the country.

To reach the presidential palace, he will have to pass through the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, where pictures of their leader, who was assassinated by Israel, are placed next to posters welcoming the Pope.

“The choice to travel to Lebanon is a brave one,” said Hughes D. Wilmont, president of the Opéra d’Oriente, a Catholic organization that helps Christians in the Middle East.

He added, “The Lebanese multi-sectarian model currently suffers from great weakness due to the logic of confrontation, even though the country has a president and prime minister who work together.”