Around 150,000 people gathered in Beirut on Tuesday for an open-air mass led by Pope Leo XIV, who called for peace amid ongoing violence and conflict in Lebanon.
The mass took place on the waterfront and was attended by thousands of emotional worshippers, according to Vatican press sources and local authorities.
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV addressed the major challenges facing the country, including its fragile and unstable political situation, severe economic crisis, and ongoing violence that has reignited old fears.
He urged people to "disarm their hearts" and shed "the armour of ethnic and political divisions" to achieve a "united Lebanon where peace and justice prevail."
Earlier in the day, the pope visited the site of the 2020 explosion at the port of Beirut that devastated large parts of the city, killing over 220 people.
He prayed silently and blessed the families of the victims, many of whom were visibly moved, carrying photos of lost loved ones.
The explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in history, was caused by a fire at a warehouse where ammonium nitrate had been stored unsafely for years despite repeated warnings to top officials.
The pope’s visit comes as Lebanon struggles with recent upsurges in violence, including air strikes that continue despite a fragile ceasefire following last year’s deadly war with Israel.
