Aoun: Lebanon not abandoned after successful papal visit

BEIRUT — At a dinner honoring those who contributed materially and morally to the success of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon in December, President Joseph Aoun said Friday that Lebanon is “neither abandoned nor alone,” describing the country as “a foundation and a necessity for building peace and strengthening the principles of human fraternity in the East and the world.”

The dinner was hosted by Aoun and First Lady Nehmat Aoun at Baabda Palace. Among those attending were the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Paolo Borgia, as well as ministers, security commanders and governors.

Aoun said the pope’s visit reaffirmed “Lebanon’s role as a civilizational message that transcends its small geographic size,” according to the state-run National News Agency.

“The visit was a pivotal milestone and a defining path,” Aoun said. He added that the visit helped realign the compass, reaffirming that “Lebanon is not a problem, but rather a value — the value of Lebanon as a homeland of knowledge and creativity.”

He stressed that this “geographical space, which has embraced all the heavenly religions and lived by building bridges and dismantling barriers, has been and will remain a center of coexistence and a key to peace for the entire region.”

Aoun further noted that the papal visit “constituted a moral, spiritual, and national boost, revived hope in the hearts of the Lebanese, and sent a message to the whole world that Lebanon is neither abandoned nor alone.”

“Rather, Lebanon, as a civilizational model of pluralism and religious coexistence, is a foundation and a necessity for building peace and strengthening the concepts of human fraternity in an East girded by fire and a world sitting on a hotbed of conflicts and wars,” he added.

Meanwhile, Borgia said during the dinner: “You enabled the Holy Father to become acquainted with a country of an ancient civilization and a rich history, and with a vibrant, cohesive people deeply rooted in their history and traditions.”

The ambassador also thanked Aoun for his efforts to “strengthen peaceful coexistence and to consolidate Lebanon’s stability and prosperity,” and reaffirmed the Holy See’s support for him.

Pope Leo XIV paid a historic three-day visit to Lebanon from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2025. He was received by senior officials and met religious leaders in downtown Beirut on Dec. 1, youths at the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki, patients and staff at the Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross in Jal el Dib, and families of victims of the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut port explosion. He celebrated a large Mass in Beirut on Dec. 2.