Pope Leo XIV praying in the tomb of Saint Charbel, at Saint Maron Monastery in the Jbeil district village of Anaya, on Dec. 1, 2025. (Credit: Reuters)
ANNAYA — People arrived early Monday morning along the Beirut–Jounieh highway to see Pope Leo XIV’s convoy as it made its way from Harissa to the Saint Maron Monastery in Annaya on the second day of his official visit to Lebanon.Manakich in hand, Maroun and Joseph, two 65-year-old friends, had been waiting since 5 a.m., despite municipal instructions not to arrive before 7:30. “We need the pope because we’ve all become kofar [infidels],” Maroun joked. “But above all, we need peace.” Joseph agreed: “I’ve lived through 50 years of war. Why do Israel’s neighbors have peace, and not us?” Follow our live coverage of the pope's visit here Day 2 of Leo XIV in Lebanon: Visits to Annaya & Harissa, interfaith meetings in Beirut, encounter with youth at Bkirki | LIVE Across from them, Melissa had come with her two-year-old daughter, Jaimee,...
ANNAYA — People arrived early Monday morning along the Beirut–Jounieh highway to see Pope Leo XIV’s convoy as it made its way from Harissa to the Saint Maron Monastery in Annaya on the second day of his official visit to Lebanon.Manakich in hand, Maroun and Joseph, two 65-year-old friends, had been waiting since 5 a.m., despite municipal instructions not to arrive before 7:30. “We need the pope because we’ve all become kofar [infidels],” Maroun joked. “But above all, we need peace.” Joseph agreed: “I’ve lived through 50 years of war. Why do Israel’s neighbors have peace, and not us?” Follow our live coverage of the pope's visit here Day 2 of Leo XIV in Lebanon: Visits to Annaya & Harissa, interfaith meetings in Beirut, encounter with youth at Bkirki | LIVE Across from them, Melissa had come with her...