Bkerke, Beirut, Lebanon — December 2, 2025 :
The Pope Leo XIV, the American-born pontiff, delivered a passionate appeal for interfaith harmony and an end to “endless cycles of hatred” during a historic meeting at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke, Beirut.
The address, delivered on the final day of the Pope’s inaugural tour of the Middle East, saw him meet with Lebanon’s top religious and political figures, including President Joseph Aoun, Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Derian, and Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi. The gathering takes place as Lebanon struggles with deep economic ruin and remains on edge amidst the tenuous Gaza ceasefire, which has held following a conflict that has claimed over 72,000 lives since October 2023.
Pope Leo XIV didn’t just offer prayers; he blessed over 2,500 displaced families from Gaza and announced a significant $500 million Vatican aid package aimed at tackling humanitarian needs. Furthermore, he explicitly linked climate injustice to regional conflict, urging global action.
While Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib hailed the visit as a “vital bridge,” Israeli officials, including Ambassador Gilad Erdan, criticized what they perceived as a Vatican bias toward the conflict’s framing. Despite security concerns involving 500 Vatican and local forces against potential threats, the Pope’s emphasis on “dialogue over division” is already having a viral global impact, sparking interfaith vigils and intensifying international calls for regional de-escalation ahead of crucial UN humanitarian debates.
