Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, marking the second and final stop of his first foreign tour as head of the Catholic Church, where he is expected to deliver a strong appeal for peace.

Upon his arrival, the Lebanese Army soldiers launched 21 artillery shells as a welcome gesture. He was greeted by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri. Large crowds also lined the Airport Road to welcome the Pope. 

The Pope travels to Beirut from Turkiye, concluding a four-day visit in which he warned of a “danger to the future of humanity” due to the unprecedented number of violent conflicts worldwide, denouncing the use of religion to justify bloodshed.

His aircraft landed at Rafic Hariri International Airport at 3:45 p.m. local time. He will meet the President of the Republic, the Arab world's only Christian head of state, and deliver a speech to authorities and diplomats at the presidential palace later in the afternoon. 

He is also set to meet with all three Lebanese presidents throughout his visit. 

"وصول بابا الفاتيكان لاوون الرابع عشر الى مطار رفيق الحريري الدولي في بيروت".

مراسل الميادين مايك شلهوب.@mikchalhoub007@AlMayadeenNews#الميادين_لبنان #لبنان pic.twitter.com/SSYSQeOj8G

— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) November 30, 2025

Lebanon has declared two official holidays for the occasion, and strict security measures have been implemented, including road closures, a ban on drone flights, and the closure of shops in the city center on Monday evening ahead of the Mass scheduled for Tuesday morning.

The country, home to the highest proportion of Christians in West Asia, has continued to face ongoing Israeli aggression for the past year despite a declared ceasefire, with renewed threats of escalation should Beirut refuse to submit to Israeli demands.

A three-day visit across Lebanon

On Saturday, Hezbollah sent a message welcoming the Pope’s visit, expressing hope that it will contribute to defending Lebanon’s rights. “We count on Your Holiness’ stance in rejecting the injustice and aggression inflicted upon our homeland, Lebanon, at the hands of the Zionist invaders and their supporters,” the message said.

The 70-year-old Pontiff is preparing for a packed schedule during his three-day stay, visiting five cities and towns before returning to Rome on Tuesday.

His program includes a visit and prayer at the site of the Beirut Port explosion, a major open-air Mass on Beirut’s seafront, and a stop at a psychiatric hospital to meet patients and caregivers.

Lebanese authorities and church organizations have completed preparations for the visit, which comes at a time when the country faces severe political, economic, and security challenges.

Retelling of decades of Papal encounters

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 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. 

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.