As Lebanon prepares to welcome Pope Leo XIV from November 30 to December 2, 2025, the country looks back on six decades of transformative papal encounters.

Pope Paul VI became the first pontiff in two thousand years of Christianity to touch Lebanese soil on December 2, 1964. During a half-hour refueling stop in Beirut en route to the Eucharistic Congress in Mumbai, his brief presence marked a historic milestone.

President Charles Alexandre Hélou and senior political and religious leaders greeted the Pope as he delivered a brief address in French praising Lebanon's hospitality and cultural richness.

Despite its brevity, the visit set a precedent for future papal engagement in West Asia and signaled the Vatican's recognition of Lebanon's unique religious landscape.

Pope John Paul II (1997): 'More than a country, it is a message'

May 10-11, 1997, marked Lebanon's first official papal visit when Pope John Paul II arrived with a powerful message of peace and reconciliation. The timing carried profound political weight, occurring after a devastating 15-year civil war marked by brutal sectarian conflict, including vicious Christian-Christian infighting.

The centerpiece of the visit was a Mass that drew over 300,000 worshipers to downtown Beirut, celebrated near areas where some of the civil war's most violent battles had been fought.

Pope John Paul II emphasized that "Christians and Muslims live together not to ignore one another, but to work together for the common good and to build a society founded on mutual respect, sincere cooperation, and responsible freedom." He also stressed that Lebanon is "more than a country, it is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism for the East as well as the West."

Pope Benedict XVI (2012): 'Pilgrim of peace'

From September 14-16, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI visited Lebanon as a "pilgrim of peace" during heightened regional instability. Developments in Egypt and Syria in 2011 had raised anxieties about the future of minorities across West Asia, and Lebanon, bordering Syria, found itself at the center of mounting tensions.

Pope Benedict's journey aimed to promote peace and reassure communities facing political uncertainty.

Pope Benedict praised Lebanon's multi-religious coexistence, noting that "the successful way the Lebanese all live together surely demonstrates to the whole Middle East and to the rest of the world that, within a nation, there can exist cooperation between the various churches."

His itinerary included meetings with political leaders at Baabda Presidential Palace, a youth gathering at Bkerké, and an outdoor Mass at the Beirut City Center Waterfront that drew hundreds of thousands of faithful.

Pope Leo XIV's mission

Pope Leo XIV's upcoming visit, his first official foreign trip, comes at one of the most challenging periods in Lebanon's modern history. Since 2019, the country has grappled with economic collapse, political paralysis, currency devaluation, the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion, and the ongoing Israeli aggression on Lebanon.

His visit fulfills a promise made by Pope Francis, who long expressed his desire to travel to Lebanon.

The visit's theme, building bridges, will manifest through silent prayer at the port explosion site, interfaith dialogue with Christian and Muslim leaders, youth gatherings, and an outdoor Mass at the Beirut waterfront. 

Strategic significance: Lebanon, Turkey, and the Council of Nicaea

Pope Leo XIV's decision to pair Lebanon and Turkey on his first overseas trip carries deep symbolic weight. Lebanon remains West Asia's primary Christian anchor, where roughly a third of the population is Christian, many belonging to Eastern Catholic churches in full communion with Rome. Lebanon's Christian communities trace their origins to the Apostolic age, and the Maronite Church maintains a uniquely close relationship with the Vatican.

Equally significant is the Turkish leg of his journey, tied to the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. Convened in 325 CE in Nicaea (modern İznik) by Emperor Constantine, this landmark gathering brought together roughly 300 bishops to resolve disputes dividing early Christianity. The council produced the Nicene Creed, the foundational statement of faith recited by millions of Christians each Sunday.

#PopeLeo XIV is bringing a "message of peace and hope" to Lebanon during his upcoming visit, he told #AlMayadeen's correspondent in the #Vatican, relaying his happiness about the occasion.

The visit, which is part of the Pope’s first foreign tour since he assumed the position… pic.twitter.com/bctjrsMcR9

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 26, 2025