HARISSA, Lebanon (CNS) -- At a shrine topped by a 28-foot-tall statue of Our Lady of Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV listened to stories of unshakable faith amid war, injustice and suffering.

The pope began Dec. 1 at the tomb of St. Charbel at the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya, a place known for its atmosphere of silent prayer, especially in difficult moments.

Despite intermittent rain, thousands of people gathered along the road leading to the monastery, tossing rose petals or rice as a sign of welcome.

After entrusting the Catholics of Lebanon and the entire country to St. Charbel's care, Pope Leo went to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa and listened, like St. Charbel often did, to the cries of people's hearts. 

Father Youhanna-Fouad Fahed, a married Maronite Catholic priest and pastor of a parish near the Syrian border, spoke first. His village welcomed Syrian refugees from the war that began in 2011 and was repeatedly struck by shelling from the Syrian side of the border. In December 2024, when the Syrian civil war officially ended, more refugees came.

"The collection bag during Sunday Mass revealed to me a first, silent cry: I noticed Syrian currency inside: It was an offering mingled with pain," Father Fahed told the pope.

"Alone, feeling my people's suffering smothered by fear, the misery concealed by the shame of asking for help, I went in search of them," the priest said. Some told him they had fled to protect their daughters from forced marriage, and many arrived in Lebanon hoping to eventually migrate to Europe, even if that meant "entrusting their dreams to migrant smugglers who stole their savings."

All Father Fahed asked of Pope Leo was a word of comfort so the people would not feel forgotten and alone.

Sister Dima Chebib is a member of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and director of a school in Baalbeck, which is considered by many to be a stronghold of the Hezbollah militia and has been struck repeatedly by Israeli shelling in the past year.

While many people fled the town, she said, the priests and religious of the Melkite Catholic diocese "decided to stay and welcome the refugee families -- Christian and Muslim -- who came seeking safety and peace. We shared bread, fear and hope. We lived together, prayed together and supported one another in fraternity and trust."

"In the heart of war," she told the pope, "I discovered the peace of Christ. And I give thanks to God for this grace of remaining, loving and serving to the end."

Loren Capobres, who came to Lebanon from the Philippines as a domestic worker and now works with Jesuit Refugee Service, described the people she helps as "people who had left everything behind -- broken not just by war, but by betrayal and abandonment."

Vincentian Father Charbel Fayad, a prison chaplain, told the pope of the repentance and conversion of prisoners who are amazed anyone cares enough to minister to them.

"Even in the darkness of the cells, the light of Christ never goes out," Father Fayad said.

Pope Leo responded to the testimonies by saying that just as for St. Charbel in the 19th century, so today "it is in being with Mary at the foot of Jesus' cross that our prayer -- that invisible bridge which unites hearts -- gives us the strength to continue to hope and work, even when surrounded by the sound of weapons and when the very necessities of daily life become a challenge."

Father Toni Elias, the Maronite pastor of Rmaych, near the Israeli border, did not speak to the pope, but told reporters, "We have basically been living in war for the past two, two and a half years but never without hope."

The visit of the pope, he said, is confirmation for believers that "what we have lived" -- the fear and the hope combined -- "has not been in vain."

Pope Leo's speech to government and civic leaders Nov. 30 had focused on the Lebanese people and did not mention Israel at all. But Father Elias said that was "beautiful" because peace and harmony among Muslims, Christians and Druze "are our roots, our culture. That is Lebanon."

Meeting the country's bishops, priests, religious and pastoral workers -- a crowd of about 2,000 people -- Pope Leo told them, "If we wish to build peace, we must anchor ourselves to heaven and, firmly set in that direction."

"Let us love without being afraid of losing those things which pass away and let us give without measure," the pope said. "From these roots, strong and deep like those of cedars, love grows and with God's help, concrete and lasting works of solidarity come to life."

Pope Leo was scheduled to end his morning with a private meeting with Catholic patriarchs from throughout the Middle East.
 

Millions of people “cry out their loneliness, their suffering, their need for meaning, no longer out loud, but in the deafening silence of social networks, forums, and chat rooms,” said one of the speakers, Brother Pascal Ahodegnon, the superior general of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God. “Our mission is not to resist the digital age, but to transfigure it, transform it, and inhabit it with our charism.”

Pope Leo XIV addressed participants on November 26, the day before his departure for Turkey and Lebanon.

Pope Leo XIV departed from Turkey and arrived in Lebanon on November 30, the fourth day of the Pope’s six-day apostolic journey to the two nations.

The DHS charged that an audit of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley—an organization that has been criticized by the Trump administration for encouraging illegal immigration—discovered inaccuracies and gaps in the financial records. The finding could lead to a 6-year ban on federal funding.

Father Henryk Okolotovich and Father Andrei Yukhnevich were released from their labor-camp sentences on November 20, and immediately flown out of the country; they are now in Rome. They were pardoned by President Aleksandr Lukashenko, not long after the Belarus leader had met with Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, who raised the question of their imprisonment.

The two priests had been convicted in a closed-court trial. They have insisted that they are completely innocent, and their supporters believe the charges were spurious.

Despite projected economic growth of 3.9% this year, Africa is experiencing “a polycrisis, linked to economic challenges, technological obstacles, and climate-related shocks,” according to the Holy See’s mission. The statement cited high debt-servicing costs and the effects of climate change; it also called for “technical assistance and capacity building to close the digital divide.”

Papal prayer intentions are announced a year in advance and are customarily retained by the new Pontiff following his predecessor’s death.

Pope Leo became the first Pontiff to visit the tomb of St. Charbel Maklouf, a Maronite monk who is credited with numerous miracles, and whose tomb is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year.

In his meeting with Lebanese bishops, religious, and pastoral workers, the Pope stressed the theme of peacemaking, which has been his main message to the people of Lebanon. “There are personal and collective wounds that take many years, sometimes entire generations, to heal,” he said. But he urged the clerics to recognize the power of prayer, “the invisible bridge which unites hearts.”

At the ecumenical meeting in Beirut the Pope returned to that theme, reflecting on the difficulties that Lebanon has endured, and saying: “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.”

Cardinal Fernandez, who signed the document issued by the DDF last month, said that while it will “always” be inappropriate to use that title in future magisterial teaching, Mater Populi Fidelis is not intended to signal disapproval of the use of that title by saints and pontiffs of the past. He said that “from now on,” the title will not be used “either in the liturgy—that is, in liturgical texts—or in the official documents of the Holy See.”

The cardinal explained that the DDF concluded that the use of the title too often creates misunderstandings, and therefore should not be used in official Church statements.

“When we look with God’s eyes, we discover that he has chosen the way of littleness, descending into our midst,” Pope Leo had said. “This is the way of the Lord, to which we are all called to bear witness ... This logic of littleness is the Church’s true strength.”

Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, commented: “This is the total reversal of all human logic, which can also infiltrate the Church when business-like logic prevails, when mission is reduced to marketing strategies, when the one proclaiming the Gospel puts themselves at the center as the protagonist rather than disappearing into the background so that the light of Christ can shine.”