BEIRUT/ ISTANBUL

Pope Leo XIV criticized on Monday what he called “the sound of weapons” in Lebanon, and called for love and unity among the components of the Arab country.

His remarks came after meeting with bishops, priests, nuns, consecrated persons, and pastoral workers at the Church of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, north of Beirut.

The church was filled with around 2,700 people who came from Lebanon, neighboring countries, Europe, the US, and Australia, according to the event organizers.

“In the Lebanon of today, you are the ones responsible for hope,” the pope said.

He stressed the need to trust one another so that “the regenerative power of forgiveness and mercy may triumph,” adding that the fruits of this message are visible in Lebanon’s resilience.

Christians can remain steadfast in hope “even when surrounded by the sound of weapons,” the pontiff said, urging them to look to the Virgin Mary as a model of faith in dark and uncertain times.

Leo said Christians are called to celebrate “the victory of love over hate… forgiveness over revenge.”

After that, he headed to the nearby apostolic nunciature to hold a private meeting with Catholic patriarchs.

The pope is also scheduled to meet the heads of Muslim and Christian sects in central Beirut, before attending a gathering of Christian youth at the Patriarchal Square in Bkerki, north of Beirut.

Earlier on Monday, the pope visited the tomb of Saint Charbel in the town of Annaya, in the Jbeil district north of Beirut, where he asked for peace for the world and for Lebanon.

The pope arrived amid ringing church bells and was escorted to Saint Charbel’s shrine, where Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi were present.

According to an Anadolu reporter, thousands of people lined the roadside from the city of Jbeil to the town of Annaya, carrying Vatican and Lebanese flags.

The tomb of Saint Charbel is considered one of the most prominent Christian religious sites in Lebanon, attracting visitors and pilgrims from inside and outside the country seeking blessings and healing.

“Sisters and brothers, today we entrust to Saint Charbel's intercession the needs of the Church, Lebanon and the world,” the pope said in a speech there.

“For the world, we ask for peace. We especially implore it for Lebanon and for the entire Levant. But we know well – and the saints remind us – that there is no peace without conversion of hearts. May Saint Charbel, therefore, help us to turn to God and ask for the gift of conversion for all of us,” he added.

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lebanon for a three-day visit after a three-day visit to Türkiye.