This was a far cry from the minimalist welcome given to Pope Leo XIV on Thursday in Ankara, Turkey.
This time, the Pope had not yet set foot on Lebanese soil when he was already getting an official welcome: two military planes escorted the Pope's Airbus A320 to land.
When the aircraft doors finally opened, powerful artillery salvos startled the entire papal delegation and church bells rang out across the country. The Pope was in the Land of the Cedars at last!
On the airport tarmac, a large tent had been set up to welcome the head of the Catholic Church with great fanfare. As a sign of the importance of the moment, the country's top leaders made the trip to Beirut International Airport: President Joseph Aoun, a Maronite Christian; Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, a Sunni Muslim; and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Shiite Muslim.
Of course, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai was also present, as he had been in 2012 when Pope Benedict XVI, the last pontiff to set foot in the country, was welcomed.
As soon as the fervent formal ceremony was over, the long motorcade set off for the presidential palace in Baabda.
Large posters of the Pope had been hung along the route. As the convoy passed through the southern suburbs of Beirut, the image of the man in white appeared alongside the still present portraits of Hassan Nasrallah, the iconic figure of Hezbollah who was killed in an Israeli strike in September 2024.
The Shiite organization welcomed the papal visit. On Saturday, it declared in a letter that it was counting on his support to reject Israeli “injustice and attacks.” Along the route, young scouts affiliated with Hezbollah played drums, according to the daily newspaper L'Orient Le Jour.
At the end of the afternoon, the sky suddenly darkened, plunging the Lebanese capital into darkness. Rain threatened, and finally fell. Fortunately, the popemobile chosen by the trip's organizers was an enclosed one, for security reasons. Tonight, in Beirut, it didn't just keep him safe but also keep him from getting wet.
Behind the bullet-proof windows, the Bishop of Rome greeted the hundreds of people sheltering under white umbrellas. Further away, on the outskirts of the palace, horsemen waving the flags of Lebanon and the Holy See lead the way for the papal convoy. The showers couldn't dampen the spirits of the frenzied dabke dancers. Dressed in traditional Arab attire, they splash each other in a sort of Eastern remake of Singin' in the Rain.
The popemobile stops. In the style of a drive-in, the Pope discovers a magnificent sound and light show projected onto the facade of the Baabda Palace.
Inside, the country's authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps await him.
In his speech written in Rome, the Pope had already anticipated it correctly: “You are a people who love music. On feast days, this becomes a dance, a language of joy and communion."
In a Lebanon drained of life after years of crisis, Leo XIV assured: “Those who dance move lightly, without trampling on the earth, harmonizing their steps with those of others. So it is with peace, which is a journey inspired by the Spirit, and causes our hearts to listen, making them more attentive and respectful towards others."
