On the second day of his visit to Lebanon on Monday, Pope Leo XIV met with bishops, clergy, religious communities, and pastoral workers at the Our Lady of Lebanon Shrine in Harissa, where he delivered an address focused on his trip’s theme: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
The Pope praised the Lebanese Church’s role in sustaining hope amid national hardship, citing testimonies from pastoral workers as examples of faith translated into action. He underscored Lebanon’s deep Christian heritage, from the silent prayer of Saint Charbel to Harissa’s symbolic place in the nation’s spiritual life, describing prayer as an “invisible bridge that unites hearts” and a source of perseverance.
Referring to the anchor featured in the logo of his visit, he said it represents faith and stability, values he deemed essential for building peace through love and generosity.
The Pope highlighted daily examples of coexistence, including in the village of Debbabiye, where Christians, Muslims, citizens, and refugees continue to live side by side. A Syrian coin found among Lebanese donations in a parish collection box, he noted, encapsulates the spirit of mutual giving.
Echoing the message of Pope Benedict XVI’s 2012 visit, he called for forgiveness over vengeance, unity over division, and service over dominance, while urging the Church to provide young people with real opportunities for growth.
Pope Leo XIV also pointed to grassroots efforts: Loren, a migrant aiding a displaced family; Sister Dima, who keeps her school open despite violence; and Father Charbel, whose prison ministry stresses the dignity of every person.
Before offering a Golden Rose to the shrine, he said the gesture symbolizes an invitation to become “the fragrance of Christ” through small, daily acts rooted in charity.
He concluded by encouraging the Lebanese Church to continue fostering peace through faith, communal life, and practical solidarity, pillars, he said, are essential to restoring trust and hope in Lebanon’s future.
St. Charbel, Annaya:
Earlier on Monday, Pope Leo XIV began his second day with a visit to the St. Charbel Monastery in Annaya, where he prayed for peace in Lebanon and the wider region. Thousands lined the winding mountain road leading to the Maronite saint’s tomb, cheering, ululating, and throwing rice as the pontiff passed in his popemobile, according to AFP photographers on site.
Inside the dim, candle-lit stone chapel, the Pope called for peace “for Lebanon and for the whole Levant,” invoking the memory of Saint Charbel, the respected hermit who was declared a saint in 1977 and is honored by people far beyond the Christian community.
The visit forms part of Leo’s first foreign trip since becoming pope. He arrived from Turkey on Sunday, carrying what he described as a message of hope, especially for Lebanon’s youth, many of whom have lost confidence in their crisis-stricken country or left it altogether.
Throughout the trip, Pope Leo has urged Lebanon’s political leaders to put themselves at the service of their “long-suffering people,” stressing the need for national reconciliation in a country still marked by the unresolved fractures of its 1975–1990 civil war. “Peace,” he said, “is knowing how to live together, in communion, as a reconciled people.”
Martyr Sq. and Bkerke Gatherings
Later on Monday, the Pope is scheduled to lead an interfaith gathering in Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square with representatives of several of Lebanon’s 18 recognized religious communities before meeting young people at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke.
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