Wearing a white scarf emblazoned with the logo of Pope Leo XIV's trip to Lebanon and holding a Vatican flag, Sister Geneviève struggles to hide her emotion. The Pope is due to appear at the Basilica of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa today, Monday, December 1. Like more than 2,000 Lebanese priests and religious, she wouldn’t have missed this meeting with the Pontiff for anything in the world.
Hoping for a miracle
“It's an inexplicable joy,” says the sister from the community of the Sisters of the Rosary of Jesus. Based in Saida, in southern Lebanon, she runs a school of 330 students with another sister from her congregation.
What she asks of God in her prayers, and what she hopes for from the Pope's trip to her home country, is, “The right to live in peace.” Sister Geneviève experienced the anguish of combat last year. “We had to leave the school for three months because of Israeli bombing,” she says.
After Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, war resumed between the Jewish state and Hezbollah. This Shiite militia formed in the wake of Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982, and it wields particular influence in the south of the country.
The school where Sister Geneviève works has as many Christian as Muslim students. “Everyone participates in prayers. And when there are major Muslim holidays, we also do something,” says the sister, who makes no secret of the fact that her Muslim students grow up in families affiliated with Hezbollah.
This year, despite the ceasefire reached in November 2024, her school had to close for two days due to threats and bombings. But the war could resume, because Israel is demanding that Hezbollah be demilitarized. For many, Pope Leo XIV's visit to Lebanon protected the country from a total breakdown of the ceasefire.
“What will happen next?” wonders the nun. “We need a miracle!” she says, seeing no other immediate solutions.
“It's a war against Hezbollah, not against us.”
On Monday evening, nearly 15,000 young people gathered at the Maronite Patriarchate headquarters to pray and celebrate the arrival of Pope Leo XIV. The atmosphere is exceptional, but it doesn’t erase the fear of a darker tomorrow. “We hope that after this visit, we’ll have peace with Israel. That's all we want,” says Augustin, 18, who came from Jounieh, north of Beirut. "However, I think the media is exaggerating the prospect of a return to war. I imagine that Israel will send missiles, as before, but that not the whole country will be affected," the young man wants to believe.
Not far from him, Peter, 22, has come in his Lebanese scout uniform. For him, too, the fighting that could resume doesn’t concern Christians. “It's a war against Hezbollah, not against us,” explains the recent graduate in international business.
After the Pope leaves for Rome, Peter will give himself a few years before deciding whether to leave Lebanon. “We can see it clearly tonight: if all the young people leave, Lebanon will cease to exist,” he says.
Sitting not far from the stage where the pontiff is speaking, Sister Claudine is moved to see all these young people so excited. For the past two months, she has been involved in organizing this evening, which has taken the form of a mini World Youth Day.
Still, the Antonian sister doesn’t hide her fears for the future. “Let's hope the Pope's words have touched the consciences of our politicians,” she murmurs. War? “Yes, we're afraid of it. We pray to God... we pray to God, we do everything we can! And then, on Wednesday, we'll take stock,” she smiles, referring to the “day after.”
Leo XIV greeted people who have ruined our lives
Nour, a French teacher in Beirut, also came to celebrate the Pope. The question of war leaves her perplexed. “Everyone says the situation is going to get worse. But it's already very serious!” says the young woman, as Lebanon is embroiled in a multifaceted crisis and youth emigration is very high, especially among Christians.
For her, the Lebanese problem isn’t primarily external but internal. “The Pope's visit to our country brings a ray of hope. But it must also lead to a change of heart in everyone, starting with our leaders,” insists the teacher.
The day before, she heard snippets of the Pope's speech to the authorities. “Leo XIV greeted people who have ruined our lives. Does he realize that? And did they hear his message?” She adds in a whisper, “As in The Little Prince, I don't know if grown-ups listen.”
