BKERKE, Lebanon: Pope Leo XIV will carry a message of peace to Lebanon and the Christians of the Middle East when he visits next month, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rai told AFP on Wednesday.
The Vatican said last week that Pope Leo will travel to Turkiye and Lebanon in a six-day trip beginning late November, his first since becoming head of the Catholic Church.
Rai, who heads the Maronite Church, religiously diverse Lebanon’s most influential Christian sect, hailed the pontiff’s visit at a time of truce in the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, as well as the war in Gaza.
In an interview with AFP from the Maronite Patriarchate headquarters in Bkerke, north of Beirut, Rai said that the US-born pope “will bring peace and hope to Lebanon during his visit.”
“He comes at a time when the war in Gaza has ceased... and we are living in Lebanon under a ceasefire, despite violations occurring,” he added.
