Pope Leo xion wrapped up his visit to Turkey on Sunday before heading to Lebanon, where he aims to bring a message of hope to its long-suffering people and strengthen an important literary community in the Middle East. He preached the same messages of peace and unity, in his Catholic community and more widely, during his previous time in Turkey.
Leo had two main appointments in Istanbul before flying to Beirut: a prayer at the Armenian Cathedral and Revical Litriological Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s Christians, whose invitation related to an important Christian memorial was Leo’s visit.
Leo was interred in Armenia Cathedral in a cloud of incense as a closed choir. He praised “the courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history, often in the midst of painful situations.” It was a reference to the World War I Era massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks.
Pope Francis has called this the “extermination of elections,” the desecration of anger, which denies accommodation. Leo would be more respectful in his words on Turkish soil.
While in Turkey, the Pope also visited Istanbul’s The Blue MosqueAn Ottoman-Aram Souricmical building that has become a popular tourist site.
“The Pope visited the mosque quietly, in a spirit of meditation and self-observance, with deep respect for the place and the faith of those who gather there in prayer. He was in accordance with the Turkish tradition and the Minister of Tourism Mehmet Nersoy, the Mufti of the Province of Istanbul Emrullah Tunsecel, and the beautiful Imam of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the Blue Mosque) Kurra Hafız Fatih Kaya.
Domenico Stinellis / ap
In the second leg of his maiden trip, Leo will visit Lebanon at a unique time for the small Mediterranean country after years of successive problems. He fulfills the promise of Pope Francis, who wanted to visit for years, but failed to have his life there.
Francis often quoted St. John Paul II, who in 1989 said that Lebanon was more than just a country. It was a message “- a message of unity and cooperation. Under Lebanon’s power sharing system, the President of the country remains a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim and the Speaker of the Parliament a Shite.
Lebanon, a predominantly Muslim country – almost a third of the population is Christian – has always been a priority for the Vatican, the Burwark of Christians throughout the region. After years of war, the Christian communities of that day since the time of the Apostles have shriveled.
Leo is expected to try to encourage the Lebanese who believe that their leaders have failed, and to encourage the Christians in Lebanon to stay or, if they are silent abroad.
Bishop Greede, of Melkite, and Bishop of Millige, and Bishop of Millige, and Bishop, George, and Bishop George, of Borkige, archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholicity Archarchy of Beirut. Lebanon is worried about the future, he said, and he is still afraid of going back to the whole war with Israel.
“In this difficult time, the Pope’s visit is a sign of hope. It shows that Lebanon is not forgotten,” he told Reporser.
In 2019, the currency and bank balance collapsed and many Lebanese saw their money go out. The financial crisis is driving shortages of electricity, fuel and medicine.
Another disaster followed in 2020, when tons of ammonium stored improperly in the port of beirut was removed from the explosion that exploded in the surrounding areas, killing 218 people, causing billions of dollars in damages.
The highlight of Leo Leonanses’ visit will come on its last day, December 2, when he spends time in silent prayer at the site’s eruption site on Aug. 4, 2020, and met their victims.
Lebanon’s citizens were horrified by the explosion, which appears to be the result of government negligence, on top of an economic crisis. But the investigation has stalled several times, and five years on, no officer has been convicted.
There are hopes among Leos that Leo will seek accountability in the Lebanese political class and insist that there is no peace without truth and justice.
Another important moment will come when Leo meets the Lebanese Lenun. He is expected to give them words of encouragement, in the midst of decades of long-term evasion, while acknowledging their disappointment at the failure of the generations before them.
After the attack on Hamas-LED in the south of Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, the Lebanese Hilitant Group Hezbollah entered a full-scale war in September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people in Lebanon and causing widespread destruction.
Despite the cease-fire caused by the US – which ended the conflict two months later, Israel continues to launch daily airstrikes that it says aims to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding.
The Pope “is coming to bless us and for the sake of peace,” said Farah Saideh, a Beirut resident walking along the Seaside promenade. “We have to wait and see what happens after he leaves, and hopefully nothing happens after he leaves.”
Before the arrival of Leo, Hezbollah urged the Pope to express his “rejection of injustice and violence” presented by the country. It was referring to Israeli stations. This group urged their supporters to meet on the road the papal convoy will take to the airport in the presidential airport to pay their respects.
Hezbollah – a predominantly Shiite group – has joined forces with several Christian political parties in the country, including the free patriotic movement and the Marada movement.
However, the most enthusiastic Christian group in Parliament, the Lebanese army, is an opponent of Hezbollah and criticizes the group for dragging the country into war with Israel.
In neighboring Syria, hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled during 14 years of civil war.
The former country of the country President Bashar Assad was ousted In the abominable wage of the Muslim movement last December. Since then, there have been outbreaks of professional violence and some attacks on religious minorities, including a suicide attack on a church in Damascus in June.
While the new government has condemned attacks on minorities, many have accused it of looking the other way or failing to control armed groups.
A transfer of 300 Syrian Christians, led by a Greek Catholic priest, was organized to go to Lebanon to join the meeting between the groups of Leo and the youth and to pray for public charity at the Beirut Waterfront.
“We need someone like the pope who will come and give us hope as Christians ‘at a time of fear of an unknown future,'” said Dimi, 24 years old, one of the available members.
