Pope Leo urges unity on day two of Lebanon visit

Pope Leo has called for “coexistence” during the 2nd time of his sojourn to Lebanon, gathering clerics from crossed the spiritual spectrum connected some sides of a erstwhile civilian warfare dividing line, and appealing for unity successful a portion fractured by violence.

Standing successful Martyrs’ Square connected Monday, a tract that erstwhile marked the “green line” dividing Muslim westbound and Christian eastbound Beirut during the 1975–90 civilian war, Leo said Lebanon showed that “fear, distrust and prejudice bash not person the last word”.

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“In an property erstwhile coexistence tin look similar a distant dream, the radical of Lebanon, portion embracing antithetic religions, basal arsenic a almighty reminder that … unity, reconciliation, and bid are possible,” helium said.

“May each doorbell toll; each adhan, each telephone to supplication blend into a single, soaring hymn,” helium added, utilizing the Arabic word for the Muslim telephone to prayer.

Martyrs’ Square – location to a monument honouring those who died for Lebanon’s independence, and aboriginal a focal constituent of wide protests demanding governmental alteration – has agelong symbolised the country’s conflict to flooded sectarianism.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, said the determination showed the opposition betwixt the representation of interfaith unity amid Lebanon’s entrenched politics.

“Religious leaders coming unneurotic nether 1 structure look similar they are speaking with 1 voice, but the world is, this is simply a profoundly divided country,” she said.

‘Viva il Papa’

Leo arrived successful Lebanon connected Sunday arsenic portion of his archetypal overseas travel arsenic pope, which besides included a halt successful Turkiye. He met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Arab world’s lone Christian caput of state, and addressed diplomats and officials astatine the statesmanlike palace.

Earlier connected Monday, the US pontiff visited the tomb of St Charbel, a Catholic saint revered crossed the region, earlier travelling to Harissa, a hillside shrine overlooking the Mediterranean. Crowds shouted “Viva il Papa” arsenic helium arrived nether the towering statue of the Virgin Mary.

About 15,000 young radical aboriginal gathered extracurricular the Maronite Catholic office to perceive the 70-year-old pontiff speak.

“There is anticipation wrong you, a acquisition that we adults look to person lost,” helium told them. “You person much clip to dream, to program and to bash good.”

Lebanon is location to 1 of the Middle East’s largest Christian communities, astir 30 percent of the population, alongside Muslims, including Shia and Sunni communities, arsenic good arsenic Alawite and Druze minorities. Representatives of each large sects attended Monday’s interfaith gathering, including leaders from communities that person faced unit successful neighbouring Syria.

Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, lawman caput of the Supreme Shia Islamic Council, thanked the pope for visiting, but warned the state inactive bore heavy wounds “as a effect of Israel’s continued attacks”, section media reported.

Israeli escalation looms implicit visit

As the pope delivered his connection of unity, the state remains entangled successful a broader determination conflict. Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel connected October 8, 2023, describing the attacks arsenic an enactment of solidarity aft Israel launched a genocidal warfare against the Palestinian radical successful Gaza the erstwhile day.

The Lebanese equipped radical was aboriginal severely weakened aft Israel’s large escalation successful the state successful September 2024.

Since a November 2024 ceasefire betwixt Israel and Lebanon, Hezbollah has responded to Israeli attacks lone once. Israel, however, has continued cross-border strikes that person killed much than 300 radical successful Lebanon, including astir 127 civilians, according to the United Nations.

Al Jazeera’s Khodr said Leo avoided nonstop remark connected the fighting, though helium had antecedently called for dialogue.

“Many radical judge the pope’s beingness is the lone deterrent successful the look of Israeli threats … and that erstwhile helium leaves, the shadiness of warfare volition alteration and determination could beryllium a antithetic reality,” she said.

“There’s a batch of interest of renewed struggle and that Israel volition escalate its attacks.”

Lebanon’s governmental paralysis and economical illness person besides weighed heavy connected the visit. Decades of authorities mismanagement spiralled into a fiscal meltdown successful precocious 2019, plunging millions into poverty.

The state besides continues to big astir 1 cardinal Syrian and Palestinian refugees.

On Tuesday, Leo volition sojourn the tract of the 2020 Beirut larboard explosion, earlier starring a wide connected the city’s historical waterfront.