"🕊️ Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Visit to Lebanon: A Message of Peace and Eucharistic Renewal" by Carlo Coppola
La versione italiana di questo articolo di Carlo Coppola si trova su "In Città Giovinazzo" diretto dall'avv. Paolo Scagliarini al seguente indirizzo:
Հռոմի պապ Լևոն XIV-ի առաքելական այցը Լիբանան. Խաղաղության և Սուրբ Հաղորդության վերականգնման ուղերձ: Կառլո Կոպպոլայի հոդված.
Pope Leo XIV's Apostolic Visit concluded with his return to Rome on Tuesday, December 2nd, leaving an indelible mark on Lebanon. Following his stop in Turkey, three intense days saw the Pontiff welcomed not only as a spiritual leader but as an authentic “messenger of peace and hope” in a land frequently afflicted. The pilgrimage, titled “Blessed are the Peacemakers”, reinforced the historical bond between the Universal Church and the Country of the Cedars.
The Heart of the Message: Eucharist, Liturgy, and Prayer
The core of Pope Leo XIV’s message was laying the foundation for a necessary spiritual renewal, centered on the inexhaustible strength of the Eucharist, Liturgy, and Prayer. In a nation repeatedly on the brink of state collapse, the Pope offered an anchor that transcends politics and economics.
The spiritual highlight was the solemn celebration of Holy Mass at the Beirut Waterfront on the final day. This Liturgy was a theological reaffirmation: the Eucharist as the source of unity, hope, and the engine of concrete charity.
Pilgrimage to the Maronite Soul
The journey was punctuated by moments of intense prayer and silence. The pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Charbel Makhlouf in Annaya represented an immersion into deep Maronite spirituality, a call to holiness as the foundation of every national rebirth. These gestures transformed places of suffering into altars of faith.
A Voice for the Fragile: "The Church's Treasure"
The Pope's commitment to the most vulnerable found expression in his visit to the De la Croix Hospital in Jal el-Dib, one of the largest psychiatric facilities in the Middle East. He called the patients the "treasure of the Church," reminding all that charity is a social and spiritual imperative.
In his addresses, the Pope launched the “challenge of reconciliation,” urging the youth and the Church at Bkerké and Harissa to become “responsible for hope” and unity by acting through Evangelical logic, placing Christ at the center.
Conclusion: Restarting from the Altar
The visit concluded with an impassioned appeal for the cessation of all hostilities in the Middle East. Pope Leo XIV reiterated a crucial message: the true stability of Lebanon lies not only in political agreements but in the renewal of its Faith, and the centrality of the Eucharist as an alliance with God and among men. Lebanon was invited to restart from the Altar to rebuild the Nation.
**Keywords:** Pope Leo XIV, Apostolic Visit, Lebanon, Eucharist, Peace, Spiritual Renewal, Saint Charbel, Bkerké
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