The Pope arrived in Beirut in the afternoon. The capital of Lebanon welcomed him with a light drizzle. Leo XIX brought a message of hope to the town of 5,800,000 inhabitants punished by violence and economic crises. Christians form the third part and are an important stronghold community in the Middle East, which was anxiously awaiting the presence of the pontiff, who will return to Rome on Tuesday.
“The Holy See publicly supports the proposal of a two state solution for several years now. We all know that Israel still does not accept it. But we consider it the only solution capable of resolving the current conflict,” he declared in the brief meeting with the press during the trip.
Upon his arrival and in another speech he gave later in the presidential palace, when a cedar tree was planted in his garden in memory of his sight, Leo “The phrase is possible and is constructed.”
He was welcomed at the airport by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and numerous religious representatives.
One of them, Bishop Jorge, Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop of Beirut, said that “the holy father comes at a very difficult time for Lebanon and our region.”
“The Lebanese are worried about the future”he added and “they still fear the return to an all-out war with Israel.
A few days ago, Hezbollah’s number two was assassinated, who fought a war against the Israelis five years ago, which the Americans stopped. Since then, the situation is continually getting better and worse and Hezbollah is in a difficult situation.
Christian communities dating back to the time of the apostles have been reduced. That is why it is hoped that the comforting presence of the pontiff is a sign of hope. “It shows that Lebanon is not forgotten,” said the Greek Catholic archbishop.
But the succession of crises since 2019, when the currency and the national banking system collapsed and many savings evaporated, is not normalized. The crisis caused shortages of fuel, electricity and medicine.
In 2020, a catastrophic event also occurred when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, poorly stored in the port of Beirut, exploded, causing a terrible explosion that devastated even the surrounding neighborhoods. 218 people diedthousands were injured and damage is estimated in billions of dollars.
The Pope will remember the massacre of colossal dimensions on the last morning of his visit, on Tuesday. He will also meet with some victims. In five years the investigation has stalled several times and no one has been convicted.
Tomorrow he will transfer by car to the monastery of Maroun ad Annaya, to visit the tomb of Saint Charbel Mkluf, famous Maronite saint, canonized by Paul VI in 1977. He will be received by the President of the Republic.
During his stay the Pope will also preside an ecumenical interreligious meeting in Beirut. He will also preside over a mass mass. And on Tuesday, the day of his return to Rome, he will say goodbye by paying tribute to the victims of the great explosion in the port of Beirut.