Pope Leo says farewell to Lebanon after emotional visits to hospital, site of 2020 Beirut port explosion

Pope Leo XIV gave a heartfelt goodbye to the people of Lebanon Dec. 2 after having visited the staff and patients of a mental disability hospital, met with people who lost loved ones in the 2020 Beirut Port Explosion, and then celebrated Mass at the Beirut Waterfront with thousands of people. 

At Hospital de la Croix in Jal Ed Dib, he was greeted by Mother Marie Makhlouf, who is the hospital’s director and the Mother Superior of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross of Lebanon, according to a Vatican press release. Vatican News reports that the hospital was founded in 1919 by Blessed Father Jacques Haddad and is now one of the largest hospitals for people with mental disabilities in the Middle East. 

“I am happy to be here with you. I wanted to come because Jesus dwells in this place: in you who are ill, and in you who care for the ailing — the Sisters, the doctors, all the healthcare workers and staff,” Pope Leo said in an address to staff and patients. “Above all, I would like to greet you warmly and assure you that you are in my heart and in my prayers.”

He praised the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross for carrying out “an invaluable service” with joy and steadfastness.

He also praised the whole staff with thanks, likening them to the Good Samaritan. 

“Your skilled and compassionate presence and your care for the sick, are a tangible sign of the merciful love of Christ,” he said. 

He urged them to remain joyful in the mission even when fatigued or discouraged and to remember how much good they are accomplishing. 

Continuing, he urged for society to remember those most in need and love them.  

“What is lived in this place stands as a clear reminder to all — to your country, but also to the whole human family,” he said. “We cannot forget those who are most fragile. We cannot conceive of a society that races ahead at full speed clinging to the false myths of wellbeing, while at the same time ignoring so many situations of poverty and vulnerability.”

Christians especially are called to care for the poor, he emphasized. He concluded with a heartfelt message reminding those suffering of God’s love and closeness to them. 

“Dear brothers and sisters who are burdened by illness, I would like to remind you that you are close to the heart of God our Father,” he said. “He holds you in the palm of His hand; He accompanies you with love; and He offers you his tenderness through the hands and smiles of those who care for you. To each of you, the Lord says again today: I love you, I care for you, you are my child. Never forget this.”

Visiting the site of the deadly 2020 Beirut port explosion 

Pope Leo then traveled to the site of the 2020 Beirut Port Explosion, which killed 218 people, injured 7,000, and displaced about 300,000. He prayed silently and lit a candle at the monument dedicated to the victims, as Vatican News reported.

The Pope then walked over to greet several family members who lost loved ones to the explosion. Many held photos of loved ones. He spoke with them one by one, blessed them,  , listened to them, and shook their hands. 

One young woman who was visibly emotional spoke to the Pope for several moments, and then the Pontiff comforted her in a short hug and gave her a blessing. 

Mass at the Beirut Waterfront: 

Pope Leo’s final event in Lebanon was celebrating Mass at the Beirut Waterfront. According to Vatican News, about 120,000 faithful attended.

In his homily, the Pontiff encouraged the people of Lebanon to emulate Christ’s example in the liturgy’s Gospel reading by always praising the Lord, even when it is difficult, and to cultivate gratitude. He praised the beauty of the country, which is written about in Scripture. 

“This beauty, however, is overshadowed by poverty and suffering, the wounds that have marked your history,” he said, noting he had just visited and prayed at the Beirut port explosion site. “The beauty of your country is also overshadowed by the many problems that afflict you, the fragile and often unstable political context, the dramatic economic crisis that weighs heavily upon you and the violence and conflicts that have reawakened ancient fears.

“In such a scenario, gratitude easily gives way to disillusionment, songs of praise find no place in the desolation of the heart and hope is dried up by uncertainty and confusion. The word of the Lord, however, invites us to find the small shining lights in the heart of the night, both to open ourselves to gratitude and to spur us on to a common commitment for the sake of this land.”

He reflected on the Kingdom of God and how Isaiah writes that it is like a small branch, a shoot, that will grow and is a sign of hope. He praised the work of the Christian schools, the faith of families, the work of parishes and congregations, the devotion of priests and religious, and the efforts of lay people who promote the Gospel. 

“For these lights that strive to illuminate the darkness of the night,” he said, “and for these small and invisible shoots that nevertheless open up hope for the future, today we join Jesus in saying: ‘We praise you, Father!’ We thank you because you are with us and do not let us falter.”

He urged people to support this growth, avoid being tempted by violence, steer clear of “idolatry of money,” and put aside political and ethnic divisions. He emphasized the importance of “disarming our hearts,” and revitalizing within them “the dream of a united Lebanon. A Lebanon where peace and justice reign, where all recognize each other as brothers and sisters, and, finally,” he said, “where the words of the prophet Isaiah can be fulfilled: ‘The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion shall graze together’ (Is 11:6).

“This is the dream entrusted to you; it is what the God of peace places in your hands. Lebanon, stand up!  Be a home of justice and fraternity! Be a prophetic sign of peace for the whole of the Levant!”

The Holy Father says farewell: ‘We hope to involve the entire Middle East in this spirit of fraternity’

At the Beirut International Airport, Pope Leo offered a farewell message to the president of the Lebanese Republic, clergy, civil authorities, and others present. 

“Departing is often more difficult than arriving,” he said. “We have spent time together, and in Lebanon, this spirit of encounter is contagious.” 

He said he learned that in this country people like to come together rather than stay in isolation.

“While arriving in your country meant gently entering into your culture, leaving this land means carrying you in my heart,” he said. “Thus, we are not leaving each other; rather, having met, we will move forward together. We hope to involve the entire Middle East in this spirit of fraternity and commitment to peace, including those who currently consider themselves enemies.”

He expressed gratitude for having spent time with the Lebanese people and that he was able to visit, as Pope Francis had desired. He noted that the late pontiff “would have loved to be here.” 

He noted that he has seen how deeply the Lebanese people venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary, adding that she “is loved by Christians and Muslims alike.” He also reflected on the various sites he visited and prayed at, including the tomb of Saint Charbel, where he “sensed the profound spiritual roots of this country,” and at the Beirut port, a site he said deeply moved him. 

“I prayed for all the victims, and I carry with me the pain, and the thirst for truth and justice, of so many families, of an entire country,” he said. 

Pope Leo added that he had the opportunity to meet many people and was moved by the hope evident in the encounters. 

“You are as strong as the cedars that populate your beautiful mountains, and as fruitful as the olive trees that grow in the plains, in the south and near the sea,” he said. 

He then greeted those living in Lebanon where he could not visit, including Tyre, Sidon, Tripoli, and particularly the southern region that is suffering from much conflict. He called for all attacks to end and appealed for peace, emphasizing that dialogue and negotiation, rather than weapons, is constructive.

“Let us all choose peace as a way,” he said, “and not just as a goal! Let us remember what Saint John Paul II reaffirmed while in your midst: Lebanon is more than a country; it is a message! Let us learn to work together and hope together, so that this may indeed become a reality.”