Pope Leo XIV held a mass with 150,000 people on the Beirut waterfront, urging peace in Lebanon and the Middle East. Earlier, he prayed at the Port of Beirut, the site of the 2020 explosion, and met families of the victims.
Speaking in French, the Pope said Lebanon’s beauty is “overshadowed by poverty, instability, and conflict,” calling on the country to “rise” and embrace unity, justice, and reconciliation. He urged new approaches in the region to move beyond “revenge and violence.”
The Pope also prayed for Guinea-Bissau and the victims of the Hong Kong fire before departing for the Vatican, saying, “Armed struggle brings no benefit… let us choose peace as a path.”