The Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and first lady Neemat Aoun welcomed by Pope Leo XIV. (Credit: President Aoun's Office)
Pope Leo XIV told President Joseph Aoun and First Lady Neemat Aoun after his inaugural Sunday mass that he continues to "work for peace in Lebanon and the region."
The head of state and his wife briefly spoke with the pope after attending a religious service in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, the president’s office said in a statement. Aoun invited the pontiff to visit Lebanon, telling him: “We highly appreciate your declaration to do everything necessary for peace in Lebanon.”
Leo responded that he was praying “for the security and stability of Lebanon and the happiness of its people,” and that he would continue to “work for peace in Lebanon and the region.”
On May 14, during a meeting with representatives of Eastern Churches at the Vatican, Leo reaffirmed his desire to “do everything possible to spread peace from the Holy Land to Ukraine, from Lebanon to Syria, from the Middle East to Tigray [Ethiopia] and the Caucasus.”
“War is never inevitable," he said. "Weapons can and must be silenced, for they do not solve problems; they only aggravate them,” he said.
A mass rich in ritual and symbols
In the mass, Leo set the tone for his papacy on Sunday by denouncing economic systems that exploit the planet and marginalize the poor, speaking before tens of thousands of people and several world leaders at his inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
Ten days after his election, the first American pope delivered a message of peace, unity and social justice in a multilingual, high-security ceremony attended by an estimated 200,000 people, according to Italian authorities. Dignitaries present included U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“In our time, we still see too much discord, too many injuries caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear of the other, by an economic paradigm that exploits Earth's resources and marginalizes the poorest,” said Leo, who lived for two decades in an impoverished region of Peru. His remarks underscored the socially engaged direction he intends to take, reflected in his choice of papal name — a nod to Pope Leo XIII (1878–1903), known for advancing the Church’s social doctrine and condemning exploitation of workers at the dawn of the industrial era.
During the Mass, rich in ritual and symbolism, Leo XIV — born Robert Francis Prevost and elected on May 8 — received the traditional pontifical emblems: the pallium, a band of cloth worn over the chasuble, and the Fisherman’s Ring, which is destroyed upon a pope’s death.
Visibly moved, the 69-year-old pontiff expressed gratitude and emphasized the importance of unity within the Church. He called for compassion and warned against “imprisoning others through domination, religious propaganda or the use of power.”
Before the ceremony, Leo greeted worshippers from the popemobile, smiling and blessing the crowd, many of whom waved national flags, cheered his name, or filmed him on their smartphones. “He is the right person at the right time, and he will certainly do what he promised, he will tear down walls and build bridges,” Maria Grazia La Barbera, 56, a Sicilian from Palermo, told AFP. She also expressed her conviction that Leo will continue “the battles initiated by Pope Francis.”
'A new world'
JD Vance — the last leader to meet Pope Francis on April 20, the day before his death — attended the mass alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom are fervent Catholics. JD Vance exchanged a brief handshake with the new pope on Sunday but was not received in a private audience. It was possible, however, that they might meet on Monday before Vance's return to Washington.
The election of Leo, a native of Chicago, has sparked significant enthusiasm in the United States, even though he opposed the anti-immigration policy of the Trump administration, notably on his X account, which has since been deleted. Sophia Tripp, a 20-year-old American studying in Chicago, expects there will be “more weight on his shoulders because he is American.” “I believe there will be more eyes on him, maybe some criticism, because of his origin,” she predicts.
The pope also called for “building a new world where peace reigns,” a message with particular resonance with the presence of Zelenskyy — whom he is to receive in private audience later on Sunday — and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, both of whose countries are engaged in war. At the end of the mass, he also spoke of “martyrized” Ukraine in anticipation of “negotiations for a just and lasting peace” and Gaza, where “the children, families, the elderly who survive suffer from hunger.”
Among other dignitaries in St. Peter's Square were German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French Prime Minister François Bayrou, Italian government leader Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Representatives from other religions were also present, including Jews and Muslims. Royals were not missing, with the Belgian sovereigns Philippe and Mathilde, the Spanish Felipe VI and Letizia, and the Monégasque Albert II and Charlene.
During his first week as pope, Leo had already used his audiences to make his first calls, from the release of imprisoned journalists to proposing mediation to warring parties worldwide. Before the diplomatic corps on Friday, he called for the fight against “global inequalities” and “degrading working conditions” while defending a vision of “family based on the stable union between a man and a woman.”