BEIRUT: Pope Leo arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, where he is expected to appeal for peace in a country that is a continued target of Israeli air strikes, on the second and final leg of his first overseas trip as leader of the Catholic Church.

The first US pope flew from Turkey, where he has been visiting for four days, and warned that humanity’s future was at risk because of the world’s unusual number of bloody conflicts and condemned violence in the name of religion.

Hours before Leo’s arrival, crowds gathered along the roads from the airport to the presidential palace, waving Lebanese and Vatican flags. He will meet the president and prime minister and make an address, only his second to a foreign government.

Lebanon, which has the largest share of Christians in the Middle East, has been rocked by the spillover of the Gaza conflict, as Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah went to war, culminating in a devastating Israeli offensive.

Leaders in Lebanon, which hosts 1 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees and is also struggling to recover from years of economic crisis, are worried Israel will dramatically escalate its strikes in coming months.

Reaffirms Vatican’s stance on two-state as the only solution to Israel-Palestine conflict

Israel says its continued strikes since last year’s ceasefire agreement are what it claimed to prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing military capabilities and posing a renewed threat to communities in northern Israel.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Friday that he hoped Leo’s visit would help bring an end to Israeli attacks.

Lebanon’s diverse communities have also welcomed the papal trip, with leading Druze cleric Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna saying Lebanon “needs the glimmer of hope represented by this visit”.

He was driven in the enclosed popemobile, arriving at the palace in heavy rain with crowds under white umbrellas cheering and a welcome band performing a traditional dance while beating large drums.

Pope backs Palestinian state

In a relevant development, Pope Leo said on Sunday that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state, reaffirming the Vatican’s position.

“We all know that at this time Israel still does not accept that solution, but we see it as the only solution,” Leo, the first US pope, told journalists on a flight from Turkey to Lebanon during his first in-flight press conference.

“We are also friends with Israel and we are seeking to be a mediating voice between the two parties that might help them close in on a solution with justice for everyone,” said the pope, speaking in Italian.

“The Holy See has publicly backed the proposal for a two-state solution for several years,” the Pope said.

He said he discussed the issue on Thursday in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “who fully supports this proposal”. “Turk­ey has an important role to play in this process,” the pontiff added.

The Holy See has recognised the State of Palestine since 2015.

Since his election in May, the pope has expressed his solidarity with the “martyred land” of Gaza and denounced the forced displacement of Palestinians.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2025