Pope Francis arrived in Beirut on Sunday for a 48-hour visit, carrying a message of peace to the Lebanese people who have been hit by successive crises in recent years. Pope Francis arrived in Beirut on Sunday, bearing a message of peace for Lebanon after a visit to Turkey focused on dialogue for Christian unity. The Pope's plane landed at Rafic Hariri International Airport, coming from Istanbul, for a visit that will last until Tuesday in this multi-confessional country with an estimated population of 5.8 million. Lebanon, which has long been seen as a model of religious and sectarian diversity in the Middle East, has been suffering from successive crises since 2019, including an unprecedented economic collapse, a sharp rise in poverty rates, and a deterioration in public services, as well as the 2020 Beirut port explosion and the last war fought by Hezbollah and Israel. An official welcoming ceremony for the Pope was held at the airport, attended by the presidents of the Republic, the Government, and Parliament, as well as religious leaders. Ships docked in Beirut port sounded their horns in celebration. From the airport, the Pope, who is the first pontiff to visit Lebanon since Benedict XVI in 2012, will head to the presidential palace where he will meet with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri before delivering his first speech to the authorities, representatives of civil society, and the diplomatic corps. The Pope's visit to Beirut comes amid local fears of an escalation of the Israeli-Lebanese conflict, despite the authorities' commitment to disarming Hezbollah, a year after a ceasefire came into effect to end a devastating war between the two sides. The army fired celebratory volleys to welcome the Pope.
