Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for an estimated 150,000 people at Beirut’s Waterfront in Lebanon, on Dec. 2, 2025. / Credit: Marwan Semaan/ACI MENA.
Beirut, Lebanon, Dec 2, 2025 / 04:52 am (CNA).
BeirutheardadifferentkindofvoiceonTuesdaymorning.Inacitystillmarkedbythesoundsofthe2024escalationbetweenHezbollahandIsrael,PopeLeoXIVurgedLebanontoriseaboveviolenceanddivision.“Lebanon,standup.Beahomeofjusticeandfraternity.BeapropheticsignofpeaceforthewholeoftheLevant,”hesaidataMassattendedbyabout150,000peopleatBeirutWaterfront.
Theliturgyclosedthefinaldayofthepope’svisittoanationstrainedbyintermittentpoliticalparalysis,economicfreefallandpersistentinstability.TheWaterfrontitselfcarriessymbolicweight.BuiltonlandreclaimedfromtheseawithrubblefromdowntownBeirutdestroyedinthecivilwar,ithascometorepresentbothlossandreconstruction.
Inhishomily,PopeLeospokeofpraise,hope,beautyandresponsibility,callingforunityatamomentofnationalfracture.HeacknowledgedtheburdenscarriedbytheLebanesepeopleandsaidpraisebecomesdifficult“whenli
