BEIRUT (Vatican News/CNS): Pope Leo XIV concluded his final Mass in Beirut on December 2, urging the crowd to be “artisans of peace, heralds of peace, witnesses of peace,” according to Vatican News.
The pope said, “The path of mutual hostility and destruction in the horror of war has been travelled too long, with the deplorable results that are before everyone’s eyes. We need to change course; we need to educate our hearts for peace,” then prayed for the Middle East and all those suffering from war.
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Beirut on November 30, marking the second leg of his first overseas apostolic journey. While the focus in Türkiye was on ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, and commemorating the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, the theme in Beirut was peace, captured in the visit’s motto: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
At the start of his visit on November 30, the pope received a 21-gun salute and was welcomed by Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, prime minister, Nawaf Salam, and Bechara Cardinal Rai, Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church.
Crowds lined the streets to welcome the pope even after heavy rain began.
The path of mutual hostility and destruction in the horror of war has been travelled too long, with the deplorable results that are before everyone’s eyes. We need to change course; we need to educate our hearts for peace
Pope Leo XIV
At the Presidential Palace, he told 400 Lebanese officials and diplomats that peace is not just an aspiration, but a daily necessity rooted in the country’s complex social fabric.
“Your resilience is an essential characteristic of authentic peacemakers, for the work of peace is indeed a continuous starting anew… [commitment and love for peace] are not daunted by disappointment, but look ahead, welcoming and embracing all situations with hope,” CNS reported the pope as saying.
He called peace “a desire and a vocation” and urged leaders to stay connected to the people and “speak the language of hope,” which has enabled Lebanon “always to start again.”
He emphasised that sustainable peace requires confronting past wounds, reconciliation, and prioritising the common good. The pope reminded leaders and institutions that peace needs active commitment.
On December 1, Pope Leo visited St. Charbel’s tomb at the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya, welcomed by thousands. After entrusting Lebanon to St. Charbel’s care, he visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa.
He emphasised that sustainable peace requires confronting past wounds, reconciliation, and prioritising the common good
He said, “it is in being with Mary at the foot of Jesus’ cross that our prayer…gives us the strength to continue to hope and work, even when surrounded by the sound of weapons and when the very necessities of daily life become a challenge.”
Later, Pope Leo met with 15,000 young people outside the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerké. He noted that despite ongoing threats, Lebanon’s youth and religious leaders have resources to build a better future, CNS reported.
“The true opposition to evil is not evil, but love, a love capable of healing one’s own wounds while also caring for the wounds of others,” he said.
Before meeting the youth, the pope met elders from Lebanon’s Christian, Muslim, Druze, and Alawite communities in Martyrs’ Square.
The young people asked how to preserve inner peace and hope “in a country deprived of stability,” and keep relationships strong in a digital world. Pope Leo encouraged them to seek good examples around them.
The true opposition to evil is not evil, but love, a love capable of healing one’s own wounds while also caring for the wounds of others
Pope Leo
“Draw from the good roots of those dedicated to serving society without using it for their own interests… Be the source of hope that the country is waiting for!” he exhorted them.
The pope said Jesus should be the first example for peace and relationships. “If our ego is at the centre of a friendship or loving relationship, it cannot bear fruit… if love has a time limit, it is not truly love.
“Love and charity express God’s presence “more than anything else,” he told them. “Charity speaks a universal language, because it speaks to every heart.”
He urged them to follow peers not discouraged “by injustices and negative examples, even those found within the Church… they have tried to forge new paths in search of the kingdom of God and its justice.”
He told them, “Drawing on the strength you receive from Christ, build a better world than the one you inherited.”
[Be] builders of peace: to confront intolerance, overcome violence, and banish exclusion, illuminating the path toward justice and concord for all, through the witness of your faith Pope Leo
At the ecumenical and interreligious meeting in Martyrs’ Square, Pope Leo was welcomed by Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan and leaders of Lebanon’s main Christian and Muslim communities.
The pope observed that the central role of faith in the life of Lebanon is obvious.
He them that their presence “in this remarkable place where minarets and church bell towers stand side by side, yet both reach skyward” is a testimony to the enduring faith and the devotion the people have “to the one God.”
Noting that the Middle East is too often associated with conflict, Pope Leo said, “[Yet] in the midst of these struggles, a sense of hopefulness and encouragement can be found when we focus on what unites us: our common humanity, and our belief in a God of love and mercy.”
The pope said, “The people of Lebanon … stand as a powerful reminder that fear, distrust and prejudice do not have the final word, and that unity, reconciliation, and peace are possible.”
He told them that religious leaders must be “builders of peace: to confront intolerance, overcome violence, and banish exclusion, illuminating the path toward justice and concord for all, through the witness of your faith.”
