After concluding his apostolic visit to Turkey, Pope Leo XIV arrived Nov. 30 in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, where he gave an address to Lebanese government officials that called for peaceful dialogue and cultivating hope in the nation.
Upon arrival at the capital, the Pontiff was welcomed by people waving Lebanese and Vatican flags who had lined the streets of his route. Signs that read “Welcome Pope Leo” had also been put up.
This visit marks an important moment for Lebanese Catholics, and Catholics around the world, especially because Lebanon has the greatest share of Christians in the Middle East. The central theme of the Pope’s apostolic journey is “Blessed are the peacemakers,” which is also significant as Lebanon continues to face economic crisis and unrest.
At the presidential palace, Pope Leo extolled the virtue of peacemaking in his address given to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and other Lebanese government officials.
He began his address stating: “Blessed are the peacemakers!”
“It is a great joy for me to meet with you, and to visit this land where ‘peace’ is much more than just a word, for here peace is a desire and a vocation; it is a gift and a work in progress,” he said.
He noted that the journey’s theme is from Matthew 5:9, and that the political leaders have a unique responsibility and authority in their jobs — and therefore they have a special calling related to this Scripture verse.
“Certainly, there are millions of Lebanese, here and throughout the world, who serve peace silently, day after day. Yet you, who have important institutional tasks within this nation, are destined for a special beatitude if you can say that you have put the goal of peace above all else,” he said. As such, he explained, he wanted to reflect on what it means to be a peacemaker amid difficult circumstances.
Pope Leo praised the country’s “natural beauty and cultural riches,” and added that “there is a shining quality that distinguishes the Lebanese: you are a people who do not give up, but in the face of trials, always know how to rise again with courage.”
“Your resilience is an essential characteristic of authentic peacemakers, for the work of peace is indeed a continuous starting anew,” he said. “Moreover, the commitment and love for peace know no fear in the face of apparent defeat, are not daunted by disappointment, but look ahead, welcoming and embracing all situations with hope. It takes tenacity to build peace; it takes perseverance to protect and nurture life.”
He said that the country, which is diverse in its communities, is united in the common language of hope, to begin again.
“You have suffered greatly from the consequences of an economy that kills, from global instability that has devastating repercussions also in the Levant, and from the radicalization of identities and conflicts,” he said. “But you have always wanted, and known how, to start again.”
He urged the political leaders to “never separate yourselves from your people, and to place yourselves with commitment and dedication at the service of your people, who are so rich in variety,” and to always speak the “language of hope” that brings people together.
Pope Leo also praised peacemakers’ commitment to pursuing reconciliation, even when it is painful and takes many years. He said peace is not simply “a mere balance” among people living separately but in the same space.
“Peace is knowing how to live together, in communion, as reconciled people,” he said. “A reconciliation that, in addition to enabling us to live together, will teach us to work together for a shared future side by side.”
Perseverance is a third crucial characteristic of peacemakers, Pope Leo emphasized.
“There are times when it is easier to flee, or simply more convenient to move elsewhere,” he said. “It takes real courage and foresight to stay or return to one’s own country, and to consider even somewhat difficult situations worthy of love and dedication.”
Choosing to remain and strive daily to build “a civilization of love and peace remains something very valuable,” he said. He noted that families and young people in particular face threats such as poverty and violence that can lead to departing from their homeland. A challenge for political leaders is to work to ensure young people do not feel compelled to emigrate, Pope Leo said.
He also emphasized that women have an essential role in the preservation and building of peace.
“Let us not forget that women have a special capacity for peace-making, because they know how to cherish and strengthen the profound bonds with life, people and places,” he said.” Their participation in social and political life, as well as in their own religious communities, represents a factor of true renewal throughout the world, as does the energy that comes from young people.
“Blessed, therefore, are the peacemakers, and blessed are the young people who remain or who return in order that Lebanon may once again be a land full of life.”
He concluded by praying that peace, which is a gift from God, grows among all those present, noting the fruit’s effects can have transformative power for communities across Lebanon, “a land that God deeply loves and continues to bless.”
Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, Maronite Patriarch and host of the Pope in Lebanon, told Vatican News in a Nov. 30 interview that he hopes the Pontiff’s visit has a lasting impact that encourages people to cultivate hope and peace.
“For me, this is a personal appeal to each one of us Lebanese — an appeal to change, to turn the page and open a new one, the page of peace, of hope,” he told the outlet. “We cannot live as though nothing has happened. The Pope comes, ceremonies take place, the welcome is given, he leaves, and everything returns to how it was before. No. We hope the Lebanese reflect a little and appreciate the value of this visit, because the Holy Father knows that Lebanon is going through a very, very critical moment.”