Beirut, December 3, 2025
Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr
Pope Leo XIV met with Christian and other religious leaders from Lebanon and Syria on the second day of his visit to Beirut, participating in an interfaith gathering at Martyrs’ Square in the Lebanese capital.
His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch welcomed the Pontiff during the event, greeting him in Arabic and describing the visit as a joyous occasion. In his remarks, the Patriarch welcomed the Pope to “the Church of Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians. The Church of Antioch, in all its diverse communities, the first Church founded by the Apostle Peter.”
The Patriarch characterized Lebanon as a country “that breathes with both its Muslim and Christian lungs” and emphasized the shared existence of its communities, saying its components “do not merely coexist but complement, resemble, and ultimately meld into one another to shape Lebanon.”
In a symbolic gesture, Pope Leo XIV, Patriarch John, and Sheikh Sami Abil-Mona, the spiritual head of Lebanon’s Druze community, together planted an olive tree as a symbol of peace. The interfaith meeting aimed “to send a joint message of peace” from religious leaders whose communities live in the wider Middle East region during a period of ongoing conflicts and insecurity, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency.
During his address, the Pope recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s 2012 Apostolic Exhortation “Ecclesia in Medio Oriente,” which was signed in Beirut and expressed the Church’s desire for dialogue with representatives of other religions. He noted that “the numerous minarets and church bell towers of the country stand side by side” and bear witness to the Lebanese people’s faith and devotion.
Pope Leo emphasized that despite the region’s complex conflicts, the Lebanese people offer a reminder that prejudice does not have the final word and demonstrate that peace is possible. He stated that hope and encouragement can be found “when we focus on what unites us: our common humanity and our faith in a God of love and mercy.”
Pope Leo described the olive trees of Lebanon as “a tireless symbol of reconciliation and peace.”
The meeting in Beirut came shortly after the Pope’s visit to Turkey, where he joined Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. During that visit, the two leaders offered joint prayers and signed a declaration about seeking Orthodox-Catholic unity. Patriarch John had been invited to attend the Nicaea event but was represented by a delegate and did not travel there himself.
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