On the second day of his visit to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIII visited the tomb of Saint Charbel Makhlouf at the monastery in Anaya and the Harissa sanctuary, located at the foot of the statue of Our Lady of Lebanon north of Beirut, the Associated Press reports, BTA reports.
These holy sites are among the most visited in the country and gather pilgrims from both the Christian and Muslim communities.
The Holy Father's visit is part of his efforts to highlight the importance of religious pluralism in Lebanon and to encourage Christians to remain in the region. Hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled the Middle East in recent decades due to military conflicts and the rise of Islamic extremism.
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lebanon yesterday after a visit to Turkey. His 48-hour tour of the country is his first official visit abroad as pontiff. Upon his arrival, he appealed to political leaders to work for peace, overcome their divisions and give hope to the Lebanese people, expressing strong support for Christian communities in the region.
Lebanon, where Muslims are the majority and about a third of the population is Christian, has traditionally held a special place in the Vatican's foreign policy. Despite frequent political and social crises, Christians in the country continue to enjoy religious freedom and significant participation in government. Under the 1943 division of powers, the president is a Maronite Christian, the speaker of parliament a Shiite Muslim, and the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, making Lebanon the only Arab state with a Christian head of state.
The pope today paid homage to Saint Charbel Makhlouf, a 19th-century monk and hermit canonized in 1977 and venerated by Lebanese of all faiths, as well as to the Harissa shrine overlooking the Gulf of Jounieh. He is expected to address bishops, priests, and clergy from across the country.
Later in the day, Leo XIV will lead an interfaith prayer at Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut, before meeting with young people at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke, in northern Lebanon.