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Breadcrumb
Christians in Lebanon and across the region are preparing for the Pope’s visit on Sunday, hoping it will bring a measure of comfort after years of conflict and upheaval.
Pope Leo is scheduled to arrive in Beirut from Istanbul, marking his first foreign trip since his election in May to succeed the late Pope Francis. Lebanon has declared a two-day public holiday for the visit.
The crisis-stricken country is looking for a moment to breathe. This will be the first papal visit since 2012, when Pope Benedict XVI travelled to Lebanon.
“To put it briefly, we are hopeful because he is visiting us no matter what happens, even under the bombs,” Elie, who asked to be identified only by his first name, told The New Arab.
Elie and his family live in Beirut but are originally from a village in south Lebanon heavily damaged during last year’s war between Israel and Hezbollah. Despite the ceasefire reached a year ago, Israeli attacks have continued in the border areas.
“My house in Aalma al-Shaab was destroyed. I refuse to rebuild it before there’s a peace deal or a permanent ceasefire. We can’t keep living like this,” he said.
Fears of another war remain high, with some worried Israel could resume its offensive after the Pope’s departure.
Elie says the past few years have been deeply painful for Lebanon’s Christians, while acknowledging that the war with Israel has hit the country’s Shia communities hardest.
“Between government negligence, negligence from Christian parties, the economic collapse, the Beirut blast, the assassinations… Christians are desperate and fragmented,” he said, pointing to the steady emigration of young people.
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Lebanon’s Christian population has declined in recent decades, though it still makes up an estimated 30 to 35 percent of the country. Lebanon is also the only Arab state with a Christian (Maronite) president under its power-sharing system.
Yet Elie insists on holding onto what hope is left.
“Despite everything, and with those who chose to remain, we cling onto hope. We see with Baba Roma’s visit some hope, love, and blessing.
“We hope his visit can enlighten the minds of our leaders to start building a state, one where we are all equal under the law. And [I hope] his visit will be a message of freedom and peace that we all so desperately need.”
Lebanon has endured repeated shocks in recent years. The 2020 explosion at the Port of Beirut killed more than 230 people and devastated large parts of the capital, particularly the predominantly Christian east. Although much of the damage has been repaired, many residents never returned, with some leaving the country entirely.
Pope Leo is expected to hold a silent prayer at the blast site on Tuesday before returning to Rome.
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Across the region, many Arab Christians are following the visit closely.
“As a Syrian Melkite, I view the Pope’s visit to Lebanon as not just symbolic but a sign of his concern for the East and for Eastern Christians, despite all the difficult circumstances,” Yara, whose family fled the Syrian conflict, told TNA. The Melkite Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See.
“This gives us great hope. His visit to the Christians of the Middle East in their homelands, not just the diaspora, shows there are people who remain steadfast on their land. I hope to see more visits like this in other countries.”
Yara expressed deep concern about the future of Christians in Syria, where an Islamist-led government took power after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad nearly a year ago.
A deadly suicide bombing at a church in Damascus recently heightened fears for a community already reduced from up to two million before the war to fewer than 300,000 today.
Some Lebanese abroad are flying home to see the pontiff, and there are reports of foreign visitors booking trips to Beirut for the event.
More than 150,000 people are expected to attend the Pope’s celebration of the Holy Mass at the Beirut waterfront, with preparations underway.