Pope Leo visits tomb of St. Charbel, meets with 15,000 young people in Lebanon

In an incredible encounter with some 15,000 young people in Lebanon Dec. 1, Pope Leo XIV urged them to “be the source of hope that the country is waiting for,” cultivating love and hope in Christ. 

According to Vatican News, the young people filled the square in front of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch in Bkerké to hear the address of the Pontiff, who had arrived in Lebanon the previous day. 

The sun had already set when he came to the square, where he was greeted with cheers and many waving Vatican flags. 

“Dear young people of Lebanon, peace be with you! Assalamu lakum!” Pope Leo said at the beginning of his address. “This is the greeting of the Risen Jesus (cf. Jn 20:19), and it sustains the joy of our meeting. The enthusiasm we feel in our hearts expresses God’s loving closeness, which brings us together as brothers and sisters to share our faith in him and our communion with one another.”

He offered a special greeting to the young people from Syria and Iraq and to the Lebanese who returned home after traveling abroad. He reflected on how young people have suffered from conflicts and wars and offered a message of encouragement. 

“Dear young people, perhaps you regret inheriting a world torn apart by wars and disfigured by social injustice. Yet there is hope, and there is hope within you! You have a gift that many times we adults seem to have lost,” Pope Leo said. “You have hope! You have time!

“You have more time to dream, to plan and to do good. You are the present, and the future is already taking shape in your hands! You have the enthusiasm to change the course of history!  The true opposition to evil is not evil, but love — a love capable of healing one’s own wounds while also caring for the wounds of others.”

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He urged them to live in the Gospel’s light and fulfill the beatitudes.

“Your homeland, Lebanon, will flourish once again, beautiful and vigorous like the cedar, a symbol of the people’s unity and fruitfulness,” Pope Leo said. “You know well that the strength of the cedar lies in its roots, which are usually the same size as its branches. The number and strength of the branches correspond to the number and strength of its roots.”

Similarly, the many positive things in Lebanese society are due to “the humble, hidden and honest work of so many people of good will, of the many good roots, who do not wish to make merely one branch of the Lebanese cedar grow, but the entire tree, in all its beauty,” he said. 

He encouraged them to take inspiration from those who serve society selflessly. 

“With a generous commitment to justice, plan together for a future of peace and development,” he said. “Be the source of hope that the country is waiting for!”

The firm foundation for building peace is hope in Christ Himself, Who died and rose again for the salvation of every person, Pope Leo emphasized. 

He also warned them against having superficial friendships, being egotistical, or objectifying relationships. 

“It is not true love if we only love temporarily, as long as the feeling lasts,” he said. “If love has a time limit, it is not truly love. Conversely, friendship is genuine when it places ‘you’ before ‘I.’”

Relationships must be built on trust, he said, “on this ‘forever’ that is the beating heart of every vocation to family life and religious consecration.”

He encouraged them to look to the virtuous examples of Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, of Lebanese saints, of Blessed Yakub El-Haddad, and of Saint Charbel, and to foster devotion to the Blessed Mother. He noted that many young people carry a rosary with them everywhere, adding that it is beautiful “to look at Jesus through the eyes of Mary’s heart!”

He encouraged them to cultivate Christian joy and hope, saying, “When the Lord dwells in us, the hope He gives us bears fruit in the world. In fact, hope is a ‘poor’ virtue, because it presents itself empty-handed; its hands are always free to open doors that seem to be closed due to fatigue, pain or disappointment.

“The Lord will always be with you, and you can be assured of the support of the whole Church in the decisive challenges in your lives and in the history of your beloved country. I entrust you to the protection of the Mother of God, Our Lady, who from the summit of this mountain looks upon this new blossoming. Young people of Lebanon, grow strong like the cedars and make the world blossom with hope!”

At the tomb of St. Charbel

Earlier in the morning of Dec. 1, Pope Leo traveled through the rain en route to the tomb of Saint Charbel Maklūf, where he prayed and gave an address to those at the Monastery of Saint Maroun-Annaya. 

He spoke about the legacy of St. Charbel and the lessons he offers for the faithful today, such as the importance of detachment and austerity, as well as compassion, forgiveness, and steadfastness. 

“Sisters and brothers, today we entrust to St. Charbel’s intercession the needs of the Church, Lebanon and the world,” he said. 

He prayed for unity and communion throughout families — often referred to as “domestic churches” — and parishes and the Universal Church. 

“For the world, we ask for peace,” he added. “We especially implore it for Lebanon and for the entire Levant. But we know well – and the saints remind us – that there is no peace without conversion of hearts. May Saint Charbel, therefore, help us to turn to God and ask for the gift of conversion for all of us.”

At the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon

Then, the sky cleared and became sunny as he departed for the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, where he met with bishops, priests, consecrated religious, and pastoral workers. In his address, he encouraged those present to continue promoting education and charitable services, as well as support young people and migrants. 

“Let your choices, prompted by the most generous charity, serve to meet the needs, above all, of those who cannot help themselves and those found in extreme situations,” he said. “In this way, the formation of the mind will always be united to the education of the heart. Let us remember that our first school is the Cross and that our one Teacher is Christ.”

Ecumenical and interreligious meeting at Martyrs’ Square in Beirut

In the afternoon, Pope Leo gave an address at Martyrs’ Square in Beirut at an ecumenical and interreligious meeting that Christian, Muslim, and Druze leaders attended, according to AsiaNews. The outlet reports that the square, also known as Sahat al-Burj (Tower Square), “was renamed to honour Lebanese nationalists who were executed during the First World War,” the outlet reports. 

In his address, Pope Leo reflected on the importance of dialogue between the Church and other religions, and on the importance of the heritage of the Lebanese communities. 

“If Lebanon is renowned for its majestic cedars, the olive tree too stands as a cornerstone of its heritage,” he said. “The olive tree not only adorns this space in which we gather today, but it is also revered in the sacred texts of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, serving as a timeless symbol of reconciliation and peace.”

“Its long life and remarkable ability to flourish even in the harshest environments symbolize endurance and hope, reflecting the steadfast commitment required to nurture peaceful coexistence,” he added. “From this tree flows oil that heals – a balm for physical and spiritual wounds – manifesting the boundless compassion of God for all who suffer.”

The oil from the olive tree also can provide light, reminding people of the call to practice faith, charity, and humility, he said.  

“As the roots of the cedars and olive trees delve deep and spread wide across the earth, so too the Lebanese people are scattered throughout the world, yet bound together by the enduring strength and timeless heritage of your homeland,” he said.

Therefore, the Lebanese people have a special vocation, according to the Pontiff: “In an ever more interconnected world, you are called to be builders of peace: to confront intolerance, overcome violence and banish exclusion, illuminating the path toward justice and concord for all, through the witness of your faith.”

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