Pope Leo XIV makes the sign of the cross as he presides over the Jubilee Mass for choirs and the choral society in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Nov. 23, 2025. (Credit: Andreas Solaro/AFP)
BEIRUT — The official commission responsible for organizing Pope Leo XIV's visit to Lebanon, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, held a press conference Tuesday at Baabda Presidential Palace, during which it presented the logistical, security and media arrangements related to the visit, as well as the routes his motorcade will take.
The conference mainly focused on the organization of the mass, taking place at 10:30 a.m. at the Beirut Waterfront on Dec. 2.
How it will unfold
Registration to attend the mass is free and can be done through popeinlebanon.com, launched by the Lebanese government, the presidential palace and the Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon (APEC). On the website, you can find a QR code linked to an access card that must be presented at the door to attend.
During the press conference, Chadi Fayad announced that 120,000 people have already registered. He invited attendees to arrive starting at 5 a.m. and no later than 8:30 a.m. A bus will take attendees to the site, where they will be seated in their assigned seats.
Pope Leo will arrive at 10 a.m., with his vehicle passing through the crowd. There will be tents on-site for water distribution, lost-and-found, the Red Cross and Civil Defense, as well as a large number of restrooms and 14 giant screens.
Road closures
The waterfront area will be closed off in three stages. It will be closed off to all vehicles and pedestrians starting Dec. 1 in the evening. At midnight, all stores, restaurants and cafes in the neighborhoods of the Beirut Port entrance, Saifi, the Annahar newspaper, Bab Idriss, Fakhreddine Street, and the Saint George Hotel will be closed.
The third stage starts at 4 a.m. the next morning, extending the closure to the Beirut neighborhoods near the Emigrants' Statue, Gemmayzeh Street, the Frères School, Burj al-Ghazal, the Ring Bridge, Murr Tower, Holiday Inn and Abdel Nasser mosque.
To facilitate the arrival of what could be more than 100,000 people, the eastbound lane of the highway, from the Port of Beirut to the Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh, will be closed to traffic from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Starting at 9 a.m., the road from Jal al-Dib to Fouad Shehab Stadium will reopen.
For those not attending the ceremony, traffic will be diverted at the Nahr al-Kalb bridge and from the coastal road toward the Burj Hammoud neighborhood.
Shuttles to and from the mass
To streamline arrival and departure, buses will display stickers whose color indicates the region from which attendees hail. The stickers will also note the names of villages and regions.
“Those coming from the North will have yellow stickers; from Kesrouan, purple; from Batroun and Jbeil, pink; from Metn, blue; from Beirut, green; from the South and Chouf, orange; from the Bekaa and Upper Chouf, red,” Fayad explained. In addition, Martyrs’ Square is the drop-off point for buses carrying participating clergy.
Shuttle departure points to the mass
- Kesrouan: Port parking lot near the fish market
- North: parking lot behind City Mall
- Chouf and Bekaa: Emile Lahoud highway parking in front of the Ministry of Energy
- Jbeil and Batroun: Beirut Forum parking lot
- Beirut: horse racetrack parking lot
- South: Sports City Stadium parking lot
- Metn: Souk al-Ahad, on the Corniche of the river
Shuttle departure points after the mass
- Kesrouan: Chafic Wazzan Avenue
- North: Banks Street to Riad Solh Square
- Chouf and Bekaa: the westbound Chafic Wazzan Avenue
- Jbeil and Batroun: the road from Bechara al-Khoury to the Armenian church, descending to Martyrs’ Square
- Beirut: Martyrs’ Square, toward Bechara al-Khoury
- South: the Saint George Hotel, Place de l’Étoile and Ain al-Mreisseh
- Metn: Georges Haddad Street
Annaya and Bkirki
During the conference, General Joseph Moussallem, head of public relations of the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces, also detailed the traffic measures to be implemented in the Saint Maron Convent area in Annaya on Monday, Dec. 1.
The buses bringing people to the mass are permitted to park in lots located before the army checkpoint in Annaya, on the Aouayni-Mahbasseh road, on the Meshmesh road, and on the Hajoula-Fidar road. Residents are asked not to leave their cars near the monastery.
The ISF representative also discussed measures to facilitate access for attendees to the Bkirki Patriarchal seat, including the organization of the following gathering points:
- Holy Spirit University in Kaslik, for those coming from Metn, Beirut, the Bekaa and the South.
- Our Lady of Bzommar Monastery, for those coming from Kesrouan
- Casino du Liban, for those coming from the North, Batroun and Jbeil.
- Fouad Shehab Stadium in Jounieh, for priests, journalists and people who have received a special invitation, without a driver.
- Deir al-Sherfeh Monastery, parking reserved for those arriving with a driver and who have received a special invitation.