Pope Leo XIV greets Lebanese President Joseph Aoun during a private audience at the Vatican. Vatican Media / AFPShow caption: Pope Leo XIV greets Lebanese President Joseph Aoun during a …Visit to Italy comes as Beirut seeks international support for process to oversee Israeli withdrawalThe NationalAugust 20, 2026
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican during an official visit to Rome.
Mr Aoun also held talks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the visit.
Negotiations brokered by the US focus on creating a committee to oversee Israel's phased withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
The proposed committee would verify Hezbollah's disarmament, Lebanese army deployment, and Israeli forces' withdrawal from designated pilot zones.
