Pope Leo XIV arrives in Lebanon for the second half of his first international trip after visiting Turkey, meeting with political leaders and visiting the Port of Beirut explosion site.
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, opening the second half of his first international trip as pontiff after three days in Turkey marked by calls for unity, peace and renewed ties among Christian communities.
His stop in Lebanon places him in a nation where Christians have long-faced war, instability and a wave of emigration that has reshaped the country’s demographics.
Lebanon was once a Christian-majority country, a balance reflected in the 1932 census that recorded Christians as just over half the population. No official count has been conducted since, but demographic studies and independent estimates show a significant shift over the past century. As Reuters reported, Christians are now „believed to make up roughly a third of Lebanon’s population“, a decline driven by emigration, conflict, and changing birth rates.
JP De Gance, founder and president of Communio, told Fox News Digital that the choice of Turkey and Lebanon as the Pope’s first destinations is intentional. „Pope Leo chose to make Turkey and Lebanon the site of his first trip very likely to emphasize two major themes of his pontificate. Coming out of the conclave that elected him, he has placed a great emphasis on both unity and on peace.“
Lebanon marks the most emotionally charged part of the trip.
