Pope Leo XIV greeting the crowd in the popemobile on Dec. 2, 2025, during an open-air mass in Beirut. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — "Peace, peace, peace. That’s all well and good, but when he leaves, we’re still facing Israel," an elderly man tells a friend standing beside him. The two laugh bitterly. They have drifted toward the VIP section that separates them from the stage.Pope Leo XIV has just said the word “peace” for the ninth time — a word that now feels almost empty to eyes worn by a lifetime of wars.That's not the case for George Matar, 15, who stands beaming in his Vatican-colored vest, insisting he will stay in his country "no matter what."About 150,000 people gathered on Beirut’s waterfront on Tuesday morning for the grand mass concluding the pope's long-awaited three-day visit to Beirut. Earlier that day Leo XIV's intimate and moving tribute to the Aug. 4 blast victims at the Beirut Port Despite mild weather...
BEIRUT — "Peace, peace, peace. That’s all well and good, but when he leaves, we’re still facing Israel," an elderly man tells a friend standing beside him. The two laugh bitterly. They have drifted toward the VIP section that separates them from the stage.Pope Leo XIV has just said the word “peace” for the ninth time — a word that now feels almost empty to eyes worn by a lifetime of wars.That's not the case for George Matar, 15, who stands beaming in his Vatican-colored vest, insisting he will stay in his country "no matter what."About 150,000 people gathered on Beirut’s waterfront on Tuesday morning for the grand mass concluding the pope's long-awaited three-day visit to Beirut. Earlier that day Leo XIV's intimate and moving tribute to the Aug. 4 blast victims at the Beirut Port Despite...