BEIRUT (SE): Pope Leo XIV said on December 1 that migrants’ experiences must inspire Christians to oppose war and to build communities where no one seeking safety feels unwelcome, during his papal visit to Lebanon, CBCP News reported.
The pope heard the testimony of Loren Capobres, a former Filipino domestic worker in Lebanon who now works with Jesuit Refugee Service.
Capobres shared stories illustrating both the human cost of conflict and the Church’s moral responsibility. She described her work with migrants through Couples for Christ Lebanon, the Arrupe Migrant Centre, and St. Joseph’s Tabaris Parish, which she calls her second home.
She said the parish, supported by the Jesuit Refugee Service, became a shelter for migrants who lost their homes, jobs, and security during the fighting in the country.
Capobres recounted the story of James and Lella, a Sudanese couple who were locked in their employer’s home as bombs fell and were then abandoned when the employer fled.
The couple escaped and walked three days with their newborn and young son to reach the church. “In their courage, I saw God’s light,” she said.
Their experiences invite us to take a stand to ensure that no one else will have to flee from his or her country due to senseless and cruel conflicts
Pope Leo XIV
CPCP News reported that Pope Leo said their suffering “touches us profoundly” and demonstrates how war destroys innocent lives, adding that such stories call believers to act with compassion and courage.
“Their experiences invite us to take a stand to ensure that no one else will have to flee from his or her country due to senseless and cruel conflicts,” he said during a meeting with bishops, priests, consecrated persons, and pastoral workers at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa.
“And that whoever knocks at the doors of our communities may never feel rejected, but welcomed with the words that Loren herself stated: ‘Welcome home!’” he added.
Pope Leo praised migrants’ courage, saying it “speaks to us of God’s light” even in suffering, and cited the late Pope Francis’ warning against indifference to the plight of displaced people.
Capobres told the pope that migrants “are not just workers,” but contributors who care for families, support parishes, and “carry hope” despite hardship.
She thanked God for allowing her to serve “the lost and the broken,” noting that small acts of love from the Church continue to change migrants’ lives.
Pope Leo said Capobres’ witness shows how the Church can remain a place of safety, welcome, and belonging for people forced far from home by violence and fear.
