BEIRUT: Filipino worker Loren Capobres said the world stood still when she kissed Pope Leo’s hand this week in Lebanon, but hopes his message for peace will linger after his departure, leading to better working conditions and a lasting peace in the country.
Capobres, who is Catholic and has worked in Lebanon for 17 years, met Leo on Monday, alongside priests and other church volunteers on his first overseas trip as pope, in which he called on the Middle East’s leaders to reject the horror of war.
She shared testimonies of the particular challenges migrants faced during last year’s war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, when they were turned away from shelters hosting Lebanese fleeing intense Israeli strikes.
“Migrants like me are not just workers. We are co-workers. We are contributors in this country, helpers, builders,” said Capobres, one of more than 170,000 migrant workers in Lebanon.
Leo’s departure comes as fears grow in Lebanon that a new conflict could start. Israeli strikes have killed at least 127 civilians since a 2024 truce, the United Nations human rights office said last month. A strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs last month was interpreted by many as a signal of a looming war.
