From left to right: Elie Yahchouchi, responsible for the logistics of the visit; Mgr Abdo Abou Kasm, director of the Catholic Information Center; and Mother Marie Makhlouf, superior of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Cross, during the press conference dedicated to the Pope's visit to the Hospital of the Cross, on Dec. 2, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
One of the major stops during Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon will be the Hospital of the Cross in Jal al-Dib (Metn), known for treating patients with mental illnesses free of charge.
His visit to the Hospital of the Cross is scheduled for Dec. 2 at 8:30 a.m., ahead of the large Mass he will celebrate in Beirut. Details were announced on Tuesday during a press conference at the Catholic Information Center in Jal al-Dib by Mother Marie Makhlouf, superior of the Sisters of the Cross; Elie Yahchouchi, who is assisting with logistical preparations; and Msgr. Abdo Abou Kasm, the center’s director.
Mother Makhlouf stressed the symbolic importance of the visit, calling it “a historic event, as significant as the beatification of the founder Abouna Yaacoub.” She noted that the hospital has 1,000 beds and that the institutions founded by Abouna Yaacoub “treat without discrimination, regardless of a person’s origin or circumstances.”
The pope is expected in Lebanon from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.
“The very survival of these institutions is itself a miracle of Abouna Yaacoub, given the wars and crises we have lived through, while we continue to fight to support the most marginalized,” she said.
She also said why the pope chose the Hospital of the Cross: “We want to specify that the pope has chosen to meet with the sick, not to visit the building. The sick are our message, our daily prayer, our morning smile, and the vows we renew every day with them. This is our mission, our cross, which we bear joyfully.”
She added that space limitations mean the visit cannot be opened to all the faithful.
One of the highlights, she said, will be the pope’s private meeting with children in the Saint Dominique ward. “He will listen to them, ask about their suffering and pray with them. It will be one of the most symbolic moments of this three-day papal visit.”
Yahchouchi provided logistical details, saying the visit will last 30 to 40 minutes. The pope will be welcomed by thousands of members of the Sisters of the Cross’ institutions — from convents, schools and scouting groups — as well as by patients and doctors.
He will be greeted outside by children and scouts and inside by the hospital’s patient choir, which has been practicing for four years.
The program will include remarks by Mother Makhlouf and two hospital residents, the presentation of symbolic gifts, a collective prayer, and then comments from the pope. Afterward, he will visit the Saint Dominique ward to meet sick children in private, without media, Yahchouchi said.
Msgr. Abou Kasm said Leo XIV had expressed a desire to visit a charitable institution with a strong social mission, making the Hospital of the Cross an obvious choice. He emphasized the “peacemaker” character of the staff, echoing the motto of the papal visit.
“We look forward to this great blessing on Dec. 2 from the successor of Saint Peter, which will bring peace and joy to this place,” he said.
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