Pope to visit Christian sites in Lebanon; encourages Christians not to abandon region

Pope Leo XIV visits holy sites in Lebanon on Monday, drawing Christians and Muslims

Pope Leo XIV’s visits holy sites in Lebanon on Monday that draw Christian and Muslims as he seeks to recognize the importance of the country's religious pluralism and also send a message to Christians not to abandon the region.

Over the past few decades, hundreds of thousands of Christians have left parts of the Middle East for good, driven by wars and the rise of Muslim extremists.

Leo arrived in Beirut on Sunday after a visit to Turkey that began on Nov. 27. He challenged Lebanon’s political leaders to be true peacemakers and put their differences aside as he sought to give Lebanon’s long-suffering people a message of hope and bolster a crucial Christian community in the Middle East.

A Muslim-majority country where about a third of the population is Christian, Lebanon always has been a priority for the Vatican as a bulwark for Christians throughout the region.

Despite the many crises that have battered the small nation, Christians in Lebanon continue to enjoy religious freedom and significant political influence. Since gaining independence from France in 1943, a power sharing agreement has been in place in which Lebanon's president is a Maronite, the parliament speaker is a Shiite Muslim and the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim.

This makes Lebanon the only Arab country with a Christian head of state.

Leo visits the Tomb of St. Charbel Makhlouf and the Shrine of of Our Lady of Lebanon on Monday, both north of the capital. The sites draw large numbers of Christian and Muslim visitors and pilgrims.

He also is set to hold an interreligious meeting with leaders of other sects in central Beirut and meet young groups at the Maronite patriarchate.

Pope Leo XIV is opening his first full day in Lebanon with a visit to the tomb of a saint revered among Christians and Muslims throughout the region.