Pope Leo XIV on Monday extolled Lebanon’s heritage of interfaith harmony as a hopeful symbol for a region grappling with conflict, as he appealed for “the divine gift of peace” alongside the country’s Christian and Muslim spiritual leaders.

On his first full day in Lebanon, Leo was met with boisterous, ululating crowds and a genuine welcome from its religious authorities. Billboards featuring his image were visible along highways surrounding the capital. Thousands of everyday Lebanese citizens braved steady morning rain to line his motorcade route, with some showering his car with flower petals and rice as a gesture of reception.

The inaugural American Pope in history is on his initial papal journey, which has brought him to critical centers of Christianity: first to Turkey to commemorate a foundational expression of the Christian faith, and now to Lebanon to support an ancient Christian community in a nation distinctive in the Arab world for its religious tolerance.

The culmination of his day was an interfaith gathering in Beirut’s Martyr’s Square, where the country’s Christian patriarchs and Sunni, Shiite, and Druze spiritual leaders convened under a tent. After listening to hymns and readings from the Bible and Quran, Leo lauded Lebanon’s tradition of religious tolerance, designating it a guiding light for “the divine gift of peace” in the region.

“In an era when peaceful coexistence can seem like a distant possibility, the people of Lebanon, embracing diverse religions, serve as a compelling testament that fear, distrust, and prejudice are not the ultimate arbiters, and that unity, reconciliation, and tranquility are attainable,” he affirmed.

Leo’s observations highlighted the crucial significance of Lebanon and its Christian community, a place that St. John Paul II famously described as more than just a nation, but a message of liberty to the rest of the globe. At the event’s close, the spiritual leaders planted an olive sapling as a symbol of peace.

While Lebanon is frequently cited today as an exemplar of religious coexistence, this has not always been its reality. The nation’s civil war from 1975 to 1990 was primarily fought along sectarian lines.

Leo’s visit comes at a particularly vulnerable juncture for the small Mediterranean country, following years of strife, economic downturns, and political gridlock, notably exacerbated by the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Amid ongoing conflict in Gaza and escalating political tensions in Lebanon, Leo’s presence has been embraced by the Lebanese as a beacon of hope.

“We, as Lebanese, require this visit after all the wars, crises, and despair we have endured,” stated the Rev. Youssef Nasr, the secretary-general of Catholic Schools in Lebanon. “The pope’s visit provides new momentum for the Lebanese to recover and remain committed to their homeland.”

More recently, Lebanon has been deeply divided over demands for Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group and political party, to disarm after a conflict with Israel last year that left the country severely damaged. Despite a ceasefire, Israel has conducted almost daily airstrikes targeting Hezbollah members.

The Grand Sunni Muslim Mufti of Lebanon, Abdul-Latif Derian, welcomed Leo at the interfaith event and recalled the positive relationship fostered by his predecessor, Pope Francis. He referenced the 2019 joint declaration on human fraternity signed by Francis and Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the leading seat of Sunni scholarship in Cairo.

“Lebanon embodies the spirit of this message,” Derian remarked.

Ali al-Khatib, a prominent Lebanese Shiite Muslim cleric and deputy head of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, urged Leo to help Lebanon halt Israel’s attacks amid growing apprehension in the Mediterranean country about broader Israeli strikes.

“We place Lebanon in your care, hoping that the world may then assist us,” al-Khatib pleaded.

Leo began his day by praying at the tomb of St. Charbel Makhlouf, a Lebanese saint revered by numerous Christians and Muslims.

Annually, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, both Christian and Muslim, visit the tomb at the hilltop monastery of St. Maroun overlooking the sea at Annaya, approximately 25 miles from Beirut.

Bells resonated as Leo’s covered popemobile traversed through the rain to the monastery, where Leo prayed quietly in the subdued tomb and offered a lamp as a gift of light for the community there.

Leo traveled in an enclosed popemobile, a stark contrast to Francis, who eschewed bulletproof vehicles throughout his 12-year pontificate. Lebanese troops were deployed along both sides of his motorcade routes, yet his warm reception underscored the immense joy his visit generated.

Many Lebanese shared footage of the welcome alongside a widely circulated ‘hot mic’ video of Queen Rania of Jordan, who, during an October visit to the Vatican, asked Leo if it was safe to go to Lebanon. Leo’s direct reply, “Well, we are going,” greatly uplifted the Lebanese who had otherwise been offended by the implication that Lebanon was not secure for a papal visit.

Leo concluded the day at a joyous gathering of Lebanese youth at Bkerki, the seat of the Maronite Church, where he endeavored to inspire them to persevere and not leave the country, as many others have done.

“This is an unforgettable occasion,” stated Nawal Ghossein, a Maronite Catholic who, along with a group from her church, greeted the pope. “We are so proud to be Christians. So proud!”

Presently, Christians account for approximately one-third of Lebanon’s 5 million residents, positioning the small nation on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean as having the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East.

A power-sharing agreement, in effect since independence from France, stipulates that the president must be a Maronite Christian, making Lebanon the sole Arab country with a Christian head of state.

The Vatican regards the Christian presence as a vital bulwark for the church in the region.

Lebanese Christians have persisted in their ancestral homeland even after a significant exodus following the nation’s civil war. The region has also witnessed large numbers of Christians from Iraq and Syria fleeing after the rise of the Islamic State Group, which was defeated in 2019 after losing its final stronghold in Syria.

“We will remain here,” affirmed May Noon, a pilgrim awaiting Leo outside the St. Charbel Monastery. “No one can dislodge us from this country. We must coexist as brothers because the church acknowledges no enemies.”

Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay accompanied a group of 60 individuals from the Lebanese diaspora in Australia, not only to welcome Leo and participate in his prayer for peace but also to strengthen the Christian presence in the country.

“Even though we reside abroad, we feel the necessity to support young people and families to stay here,” he commented. “We are averse to seeing more and more people, especially Christians, depart Lebanon.”