Pope Leo XIV urged the people of Lebanon to remain in their homeland, emphasizing the need to overcome deep political divisions within the country. In a speech at the presidential palace immediately after his arrival in Lebanon, the Pope highlighted the internal situation and stressed that everyone must work toward peace.
“Sometimes it is easier to leave, or simply more practical to go somewhere else. It truly takes courage and foresight to stay or to return to your own country,” he said in his first address to Lebanese authorities.
The economic collapse since 2019 has exacerbated mass emigration from the country.
“We know that insecurity, violence, poverty, and many other threats are causing here—as elsewhere in the world—a hemorrhage of youth and families seeking a future elsewhere, even if it causes them great pain to leave their homeland,” Leo XIV added.
Lebanon experienced a long civil war (1975–1990), after which no meaningful reconciliation was achieved. The recent conflict with Israel has further deepened divisions, with Hezbollah maintaining an active front against Israel since October 2023 in support of Palestinian Hamas, provoking opposition from much of the country’s other communities, including Christians.
