Pope Leo takes his peace mission to Lebanon, a nation reeling from Israeli strikes and regional conflict spillover, on the final leg of his first papal trip.
BEIRUT: Pope Leo travels to Lebanon on Sunday, bringing a message of peace to a country repeatedly targeted by Israeli air strikes.
The pontiff will arrive from Turkey, where he concluded a four-day visit by condemning violence committed in religion’s name.
He is scheduled to land at Beirut’s Hariri International Airport ahead of meetings with the president and prime minister.
Lebanon hosts the Middle East’s largest Christian community and has suffered significant spillover from the Gaza conflict.
Israeli forces and the Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim militant group Hezbollah have engaged in warfare, culminating in a devastating Israeli offensive.
The nation also struggles under the weight of 1 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees and a severe economic crisis.
Lebanese leaders fear Israel may dramatically escalate its strikes in coming months.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said he hoped Leo’s visit would help end Israeli attacks.
Lebanon’s diverse communities have welcomed the papal trip, with leading Druze cleric Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna calling Lebanon “needs the glimmer of hope represented by this visit”.
Leo, a relative unknown before becoming pope in May, is being closely watched during his first overseas trip.
His itinerary includes visits to five Lebanese cities and towns from Sunday to Tuesday, though he will not travel to the strike-hit south.
The pope will pray at the site of Beirut’s 2020 port explosion that killed 200 people and caused billions in damage.
His schedule also includes leading an outdoor Mass on the Beirut waterfront and visiting a psychiatric hospital, where carers and residents eagerly anticipate his arrival.
