After Turkey, Pope Leo XIV will set foot on Lebanese soil on November 30 for a visit that will conclude on December 2, 2025. A few days before this historic trip, Fadi Assaf, Lebanon's new ambassador to the Holy See, shares his analysis of the journey.
Pope Leo XIV's visit to Lebanon is seen as a powerful gesture of support for this country, which is fighting to overcome multiple crises, but has a global mission.
In his view, the visit supports the current authorities' efforts to restore Lebanon's sovereignty.
The Pope's trip to Turkey was expected this year to commemorate the Council of Nicaea. But why did Pope Leo XIV also choose to visit Lebanon, and do so in the first year of his pontificate?
Pope Francis had also promised to visit Lebanon, but the trip wasn’t able to take place. For the Lebanese, this decision taken by Pope Leo XIV in the first months of his pontificate is a very powerful one, especially since it’s driven by motivations similar to those that had prompted Pope Francis to decide to visit Lebanon.
Indeed, Pope Leo XIV has chosen to visit Lebanon at a time when the country is exposed to the upheavals of major geopolitical transformations sweeping across the Levant region, which have accelerated over the past two years. Lebanon's high exposure to current geopolitical risks requires its regional and international allies to mobilize.
On its own, Lebanon would find it extremely difficult to overcome the multiple, deep, and complex crises that are overwhelming it. It greatly needs its circle of regional and international friends. As a friend and unwavering historical supporter of Lebanon, the Holy See now finds itself naturally at the forefront of this mobilized front in favor of stability in the Land of the Cedars.
Promoting stability and peace
What influence will the Pope's presence in Lebanon have?
The Holy See's strength lies in its moral weight, its influence on the international stage, and its ability to mobilize friends for the benefit of Lebanon.
Stabilizing Lebanon, offering it support and protection, and leading it down the path of peace sum up the challenges that Lebanon's friends, including the Holy See, have set themselves.
All this necessarily involves neutralizing the harmful influences coming from beyond the borders and rebuilding a state capable of fully fulfilling its mission: a state that controls its entire territory and borders, has a monopoly on weapons, is committed to a broad and serious program of reforms, and is working on developing a new vision for its regional role, its cultural and economic influence, and its place in the world.
In this context, which is certainly very unstable but also full of hope for the future, the Lebanese see the Holy Father, a man of peace and dialogue, as the catalyst for these efforts.
To successfully emerge from the crisis, Lebanon needs to restore internal peace and thus preserve peaceful relations between the various components of its society. By coming to our country, the Holy Father is reminding the Lebanese of the need to show what unites them and to reject what divides them. It is this idea of harmony between communities that the Pope is coming to support.
Leo XIV isn’t coming only to defend the Christian community, which is particularly sensitive to the chronic instability, but to rescue a model of coexistence that, while imperfect as recent history shows, is considered optimal in the current context.
A country in crisis
Lebanon is in the throes of a very serious economic crisis. Its elites and institutions are often criticized for their inability to reform the country. In what condition will the Pope find Lebanon?
Leo XIV will discover a country that is economically drained, a country that has suffered an unprecedented financial and banking crisis, a country that has experienced the tragedy of the Beirut port explosion, that has suffered war, the massive influx of Syrian refugees ... in Lebanon, all the problems are piling up.
Faced with these multiple crises, the current presidency and government have decided to take a fresh look at certain issues in order to restore Lebanon's sovereignty. To restore a state worthy of the name, reviving our economy and our cultural influence, we must restore Lebanon's vigor and authority.
This involves, in particular, disarming the militias to ensure a monopoly on security and defense. I believe that Pope Leo XIV is aware of the steps being taken in this direction at the highest level.
Support for the current government’s efforts
Is Pope Leo XIV's visit also a sign of support for President Joseph Aoun, who was elected last January?
President Joseph Aoun has already had the opportunity to visit the Vatican several times since his election. Together with the Lebanese ecclesiastical authorities, he invited His Holiness to visit Lebanon. By accepting quickly, the Holy See sent the message that it supports the current major policy directions.
The Vatican welcomes the desire for economic reform, the fight against corruption, respect for individual and religious freedoms, efforts to achieve balance between communities, and the desire to entrust the state with a monopoly on the country's weapons and security. Lebanon's friends, including the Holy See, unanimously support these combined efforts to enable the country to successfully emerge from the crisis.
Could the authorities' stated desire to regain control over weapons have an impact on the safety of the trip?
We have no concerns on that front.
Key stops on the journey
Pope Leo is going to visit the site of the explosion in the port of Beirut. Was this a necessary stop in your opinion? And what message can he send from this place that embodies the Lebanese crisis?
The Pope will indeed visit the site of the explosion to pay his respects and pray for the victims, whose families he will meet. His presence at this site, even if he doesn’t speak publicly, will be a message of solidarity for a population devastated by this disaster. This visit can also be seen as a strong call for justice and the need to see justice done.
Among the other events planned during these three days in Lebanon, which ones do you think will be particularly important?
Pope Leo XIV's meeting with Lebanese youth at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerké will be very powerful. Young people are the promise of a better future for Lebanon; they are its dynamism, its strength. The Pope will meet with young people who are suffering but who are determined to stay and rebuild their country.
The Pope will also visit the tomb of Saint Charbel at the Monastery of Saint Maroun in Annaya. He’s a very important saint in Lebanon, but his influence extends far beyond. The Pope's visit will therefore also be a nod to the Lebanese diaspora, which is very attached to Saint Charbel.
Finally, there’s the interreligious dimension of this trip. A meeting is planned in Beirut with representatives of several religions and denominations. This is important because it highlights the fact that Lebanon is a place of intercommunity coexistence and that it is, in itself, a treasure for the region that must be preserved at all costs.
