Politics Leo XIV visits Christian sites in Lebanon - thousands celebrate him
Pope Leo XIV was celebrated by thousands of people in Lebanon during visits to holy Christian sites.
01.12.2025, 14:52
SDA
The head of the Catholic Church first visited the tomb of the country's national saint, Sharbel Machluf, in the village of Annaja. Numerous people welcomed him on his arrival in the town north of Beirut.
Despite the persistent rain, many Lebanese lined the route of Leo's motorcade. Some waved Lebanese and Vatican flags and threw flower petals and rice onto his closed papamobile to greet him. The tomb of Sharbel Machluf (1828-1898) is a place of pilgrimage for Christians. Machluf was an allegedly miracle-working monk.
Prayer for peace for Lebanon
Leo first prayed silently at the darkened tomb. In front of those gathered, he said in French: "We pray for peace for the world. We pray especially for Lebanon and for the entire Levant."
The Pope then visited the pilgrimage site of Harissa for a large meeting with priests, religious and pastoral workers from the local Catholic Church. At this important place for the country's Christians, with its famous statue of the Virgin Mary, around two thousand people welcomed him with thunderous applause and shouts of "Viva il Papa".
Around 30 percent Christians in the country
Around 30 percent of the population in Lebanon is Christian. In contrast, around 70 percent are Muslims, half of whom are followers of the Shiite and half of the Sunni branch of Islam. In war-torn and crisis-ridden Lebanon, the Pope's visit is seen as a sign of hope for peace and stability.
