Pope’s words in Beirut’s Martyrs' Square echo among the people
Leo XIV calls for peace and dialogue among religions, meeting with Christian, Muslim, and Druze leaders. Lebanon is a "powerful example" of coexistence despite its economic crisis, political instability, and Israeli attacks. Like Saint John Paul II in 1980, he warned of the risks of its demise. But for some observers, he was even too soft on those undermining the country.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – Pope Leo XIV held a historic ecumenical and interreligious meeting this afternoon in Martyrs' Square, central Beirut, on the second day of his visit to Lebanon and the region. Also known as Sahat al-Burj (Tower Square), it was renamed to honour Lebanese nationalists who were executed during the First World War.
In his address, the pontiff said he was "deeply moved" to be in the region in person, from yesterday evening, 30 November, until tomorrow, 2 December, in a "blessed land", a country with “towering cedars emblems of the righteous soul that flourishes beneath heaven’s vigilant gaze”.
He planted an olive tree, “a timeless symbol of reconciliation and peace,” at the end of today's meeting with other religious leaders, namely Abdullatif Darian, Mufti of the Republic of Lebanon; Greek Orthodox Patriarch Yohanna X; Ali El-Khatib, Vice President of the Higher Shia Islamic Council; Mar Ignatius Ephraim II, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East; Dr Sami Abi Al-Muna, Sheikh Aql of the Druze community; Armenian Catholicos Aram I; Dr Joseph Kassab, President of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon; and Alawite leader Ali Kaddour.
These leaders are witnesses to a land that “has never fallen silent, but continues to call forth, from century to century, those who desire to open their hearts to the living God.”
Quoting Benedict XIV's apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, signed in Beirut in 2012, Leo XVI said: “The Church’s universal nature and vocation require that she engage in dialogue with the members of other religions.”
Leo XIV addressed his "friends" in one of the places where "minarets and church bell towers stand side by side”.
“Here in this beloved land, may every bell toll, every adhān, every call to prayer blend into a single, soaring hymn – not only to glorify the merciful Creator of heaven and earth, but also to lift a heartfelt prayer for the divine gift of peace.”
The pontiff renewed his plea for peace, as he did yesterday in his address to the authorities, towards the Middle Eastern communities who are experiencing an "arduous journey”.
“At times humanity looks at the Middle East with a sense of trepidation and disheartenment, in the face of such complex and longstanding conflicts,” Leo said. “Yet, in the midst of these struggles, a sense of hopefulness and encouragement can be found when we focus on what unites us: our common humanity, and our belief in a God of love and mercy.”
Lebanon represents a "powerful reminder" of "coexistence," which can sometimes seem like a “distant dream”. Indeed, “[F]ear, distrust and prejudice do not have the final word, and [. . .] unity, reconciliation and peace are possible.”
Lebanon bears witness to the “enduring truth that Christians, Muslims, Druze and countless others can live together” in “respect and dialogue”. This dialogue, also promoted by the conciliar declaration Nostra Aetate, is “rooted in love – the only foundation for peace, justice and reconciliation”, a love that “prejudice, discrimination, and persecution”.
The words the pope spoken yesterday in his address to authorities elicited reflections in the country.
Former Lebanese minister Ziad Baroud addressed the pontiff yesterday, with the manner of a former army commander. "Your Holiness, tell the world that we (Lebanese) will not die, we will not leave our country, we will not disappear; we will remain here to be a place for intercultural encounter.”
These words are also a response to the recent ultimatum made by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who announced that “There will be no calm in Beirut, nor order and stability in Lebanon” until Hezbollah is disarmed.
Kamal R., a pensioner from Nabatyeh, whose bank accounts have been frozen for five years, noted the pope’s diplomatic allusion to the immoral aspect of the crisis that is undermining the country's public life. "Regarding the banking crisis, the voice of conscience is heard too little and the reason of state too much," he said.
Khaled B., a Muslim blogger, believes the pontiff should also visit the inmates of Roumieh Central Prison. Inside, he says, hundreds of inmates suspected of Islamist subversion are being held without trial, some of whom have already served their potential sentences several times.
To build peace, peacemakers must remain in the country, Leo said yesterday, touching on a crucial point in the crisis experienced by the university-educated and young people in general, citing the "exodus" that is leading many to leave the country.
According to Father Salim Daccache, rector of Saint Joseph University, the struggling Lebanese economy generates only 3,000 to 4,000 jobs each year, while some 30,000 graduates enter the labour market each year.
Despite their sympathy for the universal Church and its leader, many observers deemed the pope’s speech "lukewarm" in light of the attacks and violence suffered by the Lebanese state.
Bombs, airstrikes, and attacks have threatened its sovereignty, from within and from without, while its stability, including the principle of rotation, is constantly challenged by certain behaviours.
Finally, Leo XIV paid tribute to the fundamental role women play in society as peacemakers “because they know how to cherish and strengthen the profound bonds with life, people and places.”
In his address, he cited the famous warning issued in the 1980s by Saint John Paul II, in a letter addressed to all the bishops of the Catholic Church, in which he warned of the disappearance of Lebanon, the bearer of a highly important model of civilisation, despite foreign interference and external alliances that continue to hinder it.
Leo XIV also travelled to the shrine of Harissa, following in the footsteps of two popes who visited Lebanon before him. Although the visit was planned with great discretion, the fact that the road leading to the convent was repaved must have been a clear sign that something important was about to occur.
This afternoon, in Martyrs' Square, Leo said: “May this loving and maternal embrace of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus and Queen of Peace, guide each of you, so that in your homeland, across the Middle East and throughout the world, the gift of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence may flow forth ‘like the streams flowing from Lebanon’.”
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