A man holds up a poster of Pope Leo XIV that reads “Welcome to Dahieh [Beirut southern suburbs] from Sayyed Nasrallah,” referring to the assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (whose portrait appears on the poster above). in Beirut's southern suburbs on Nov. 30, 2025, as crowds gathered ahead of the pope’s arrival. (Credit: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP)
In Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, anticipation buzzed as residents awaited Pope Leo XIV’s convoy, arriving for a 3-day visit in Lebanon, just a week after an Israeli strike killed Haytham Tabataba'i, Hezbollah chief of staff in the same area.Families, teenagers, elderly residents and small children lined the closed-off main road in Haret Hreik, huddling together behind security barriers.“I came because I respect the Pope. For me, Hassan Nasrallah [former secretary-general of Hezbollah, assassinated by Israel on Sept. 27, 2024, in that neighborhood] and the pope are the same,” said Ayman Danach, who lives nearby.Awaiting the papal convoy with his wife and daughter, he added: “I lost my home here during the war and had to rebuild twice. I hope the Pope will look around as he passes to see the destruction.” Beyond the headlines...
In Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, anticipation buzzed as residents awaited Pope Leo XIV’s convoy, arriving for a 3-day visit in Lebanon, just a week after an Israeli strike killed Haytham Tabataba'i, Hezbollah chief of staff in the same area.Families, teenagers, elderly residents and small children lined the closed-off main road in Haret Hreik, huddling together behind security barriers.“I came because I respect the Pope. For me, Hassan Nasrallah [former secretary-general of Hezbollah, assassinated by Israel on Sept. 27, 2024, in that neighborhood] and the pope are the same,” said Ayman Danach, who lives nearby.Awaiting the papal convoy with his wife and daughter, he added: “I lost my home here during the war and had to rebuild twice. I hope the Pope will look around as he passes to see the destruction.” Beyond...
