Pope

As Pope Leo XIV’s Visit Nears, Hope Runs Deep in Beirut

In Beirut, residents are awaiting Pope Leo XIV’s visit, scheduled from November 30 to December 2, with a mix of hope and caution, anticipating a unique moment for a capital suspended in uncertainty. Across Beirut, in cafés, malls, offices, and homes, the pontiff's expected arrival is sparking a wide range of feelings. Between hope, devotion, ...

From Paul VI to Leo XIV: The Vatican’s Bond with Lebanon

From Paul VI to Benedict XVI, Lebanon has welcomed historic visits from popes, each carrying a message of peace, unity, and intercommunal dialogue. As the country continues to face crises, Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming visit follows this tradition and underscores the unique bond between the Vatican and the Land of the Cedars. Since 1964, three ...

A Peacemaker Visits a Land of Perpetual War

Pope Leo XIV’s expected visit to Lebanon later this month comes at a moment of peril for the country. Lebanon’s most recent war, launched by Hezbollah on October 8, 2023, has barely ended, with Israel threatening to renew the conflict at any moment should Hezbollah not disarm. The Lebanese government has pledged to assert state power and ...

Salam to the Pope: Lebanon’s Freedom Is 'a Right for All'

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed that “the unity, sovereignty, and freedom of Lebanon are a right for all its children,” following his meeting with Pope Leon XIV at the Vatican. In a message posted Saturday on platform X, Mr. Salam added that “peace in the region can only be built on justice, particularly on the right of the Palestinian ...

Patriarch Rai Says Pope Leo XIV Brings Peace

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai announced that Pope Leo XIV will visit Lebanon at the end of November, describing the upcoming trip as a “visit of peace and hope” for a country weary from decades of unrest. Speaking to Agence France-Presse in Bkerke, Rai stated that “the Pope has taken peace upon himself; his program is ...

Papal Election and Contemporary Challenges

The election of Robert Francis Prevost as bishop of Rome is a powerful indicator of the Catholic Church's ability to reform its bi-millennial odyssey and reinterpret its ecclesiology to make it adjust to the challenges of contemporary ministries in a global world. The changing of the theological and ecclesiological paradigms is a Church ...

The Catholic Church in Lebanon Congratulates Pope Leo XIV

The Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops of Lebanon extended its congratulations to the new pope, Leo XIV, elected on May 8, 2025, praising him as “a shepherd chosen to lead the Church in these times of challenge and hope.” In a statement, Lebanon’s Catholic spiritual leaders, patriarchs, bishops and heads of religious orders ...

Black Smoke from Sistine Chapel Chimney, Cardinals to Vote Again

Thick black smoke billowed Thursday from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in a sign that cardinals again failed to elect a new head of the Catholic Church. Among the thousands of Catholics and curious tourists massed in St. Peter's Square, there was applause but also sighs at the result, which came after the second and third ballots. The ...

How Much Does the Conclave Cost ?

Cardinals from all over the world began voting Wednesday to elect a new pope – but what's the cost of finding a new leader for the Catholic Church? The Holy See has not disclosed how much the conclave will weigh on its shaky finances. But arranging it is understood to be an expensive affair, running into the millions of euros. More ...

Cardinals Enter Second Day of Conclave to Elect New Pope

Anticipation gripped the Catholic world Thursday as the cardinals tasked with choosing a new pope prepared to retreat behind the heavy doors of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel for their second day of voting. A plume of black smoke rose over the crowds thronging St. Peter's Square late Wednesday, confirming that the conclave's first ballot had not ...

Cardinals Hold Last Mass Before Conclave to Elect Pope

Cardinals from five continents held a final mass in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Wednesday before sealing themselves away to elect a new pope to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. A total of 133 cardinal electors are expected to take part in the conclave, the voting process to pick a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month ...