Pope Leo XIV Concludes His Historic Visit to Lebanon with a Message of Peace and a Call to End Hostilities: Weapons Kill, While Negotiation, Mediation, and Dialogue Build
December 02, 2025 · 14:30
President Aoun: Our People Are Faithful and Have Chosen to Stand Firm with Love, Peace, and Justice
Pope Leo XIV concluded his historic three-day visit to Lebanon at Rafic Hariri International Airport, where an official farewell ceremony was held in the VIP hall, attended by Presidents Joseph Aoun, Nabih Berri, and Nawaf Salam, along with ministers, parliamentarians, military and religious leaders.
President Aoun’s Speech
During the farewell, President Aoun delivered the following speech:
“Your Holiness Pope Leo XIV,
We meet today at the conclusion of a visit that will remain etched in the memory of Lebanon and its people. Over the past few days, you brought to Lebanon words of hope and encouragement, visited its regions, and met its people, who received you with great love across all communities and affiliations, reflecting their constant longing for peace and stability.
Your Holiness,
You came to Lebanon carrying a message of peace, calling for reconciliation, and affirming that this small country in size, yet great in its mission, remains a model of coexistence and the human values that unite rather than divide. Through your words and your meetings with the people of this country, we felt the depth of your love for Lebanon and its citizens, and the sincerity of your desire for it to remain a land of message, dialogue, openness, freedom, and dignity for every human being.
Thank you, Your Holiness, for listening to us. Thank you for entrusting Lebanon with a message of peace.
In turn, I say that we have heard your message and will continue to embody it. Alongside our gratitude, we have one wish, Your Holiness: that we remain always in your prayers, and that your homilies for every believer and leader in the world affirm that our people are a faithful people who reject death and departure, a people who have chosen to stand firm with love, peace, and justice, a people worthy of life.
As we bid you farewell, we are not only saying goodbye to an honored guest, but to a father who brought us reassurance and reminded us that the world has not forgotten Lebanon, and that there are those who pray for it and work for peace.
Long live Your Holiness, long live peace, and long live Lebanon.”
Pope Leo XIV’s Speech
Pope Leo XIV then delivered the following address:
“Mr. President,
Prime Minister, President of Parliament,
Your Excellencies, Brothers Bishops,
Civil and religious authorities,
Brothers and Sisters,
Departure is harder than arrival. Being together in Lebanon is contagious. Here, I found a population who do not love isolation but gathering. If arrival meant entering your culture gently, leaving this land means carrying you all in my heart. We do not part, but after meeting, we move forward together. We hope to share this spirit of brotherhood and commitment to peace with all the Middle East, even those who consider themselves enemies today.
Therefore, I thank you for the days I spent among you, and I am pleased that I was able to fulfill the wish of my beloved predecessor, Pope Francis, who greatly wished to be here. In truth, he is with us in spirit, walking alongside other witnesses of the Gospel who await us in God’s eternal embrace. We are heirs to what they believed in, heirs of the faith, hope, and love that filled them.
I witnessed the great honor your people give to Our Lady, beloved by both Christians and Muslims. I prayed at the tomb of Saint Charbel and realized the deep spiritual roots of this country: the rich heritage in your history supports the difficult journey toward the future! I was deeply moved during my short visit to the Beirut port, where the explosion destroyed not only the place but also the lives of many. I prayed for all the victims and carry with me the pain and thirst for truth and justice for the many families and for your entire country.
During these few days, I met many faces and shook many hands, drawing from this physical and inner connection a source of hope. You are strong like the cedar trees of your beautiful mountains, and full of fruit like the olives that grow in the plains, the south, and near the sea. I greet all the regions of Lebanon that I could not visit: Tripoli and the North, the Bekaa, and the South, which is living a particular state of conflict and instability. I embrace everyone and send wishes of peace to all.
I also make a heartfelt appeal: let the attacks and acts of hostility stop. Let no one think anymore that armed conflict brings any benefit. Weapons kill, while negotiation, mediation, and dialogue build. Let us all choose peace, and let peace be our path, not just our goal!
Let us remember what Saint Pope John Paul II told you: Lebanon is more than a country, it is a message! Let us learn to work together and hope together to make this a reality.
May God bless the people of Lebanon, all of you, the Middle East, and all humanity! Thank you and farewell!”
After completing his speech, His Holiness proceeded to the plane’s stairs, accompanied by President Aoun and the First Lady, greeting the faithful believers present at the airport. He then boarded the plane, concluding his historic visit to Lebanon.
Pope Leo XIV concluded his historic three-day visit to Lebanon at Rafic Hariri International Airport, where an official farewell ceremony was held in the VIP hall, attended by Presidents Joseph Aoun, Nabih Berri, and Nawaf Salam, along with ministers, parliamentarians, military and religious leaders.
President Aoun’s Speech
During the farewell, President Aoun delivered the following speech:
“Your Holiness Pope Leo XIV,
We meet today at the conclusion of a visit that will remain etched in the memory of Lebanon and its people. Over the past few days, you brought to Lebanon words of hope and encouragement, visited its regions, and met its people, who received you with great love across all communities and affiliations, reflecting their constant longing for peace and stability.
Your Holiness,
You came to Lebanon carrying a message of peace, calling for reconciliation, and affirming that this small country in size, yet great in its mission, remains a model of coexistence and the human values that unite rather than divide. Through your words and your meetings with the people of this country, we felt the depth of your love for Lebanon and its citizens, and the sincerity of your desire for it to remain a land of message, dialogue, openness, freedom, and dignity for every human being.
Thank you, Your Holiness, for listening to us. Thank you for entrusting Lebanon with a message of peace.
In turn, I say that we have heard your message and will continue to embody it. Alongside our gratitude, we have one wish, Your Holiness: that we remain always in your prayers, and that your homilies for every believer and leader in the world affirm that our people are a faithful people who reject death and departure, a people who have chosen to stand firm with love, peace, and justice, a people worthy of life.
As we bid you farewell, we are not only saying goodbye to an honored guest, but to a father who brought us reassurance and reminded us that the world has not forgotten Lebanon, and that there are those who pray for it and work for peace.
Long live Your Holiness, long live peace, and long live Lebanon.”
Pope Leo XIV’s Speech
Pope Leo XIV then delivered the following address:
“Mr. President,
Prime Minister, President of Parliament,
Your Excellencies, Brothers Bishops,
Civil and religious authorities,
Brothers and Sisters,
Departure is harder than arrival. Being together in Lebanon is contagious. Here, I found a population who do not love isolation but gathering. If arrival meant entering your culture gently, leaving this land means carrying you all in my heart. We do not part, but after meeting, we move forward together. We hope to share this spirit of brotherhood and commitment to peace with all the Middle East, even those who consider themselves enemies today.
Therefore, I thank you for the days I spent among you, and I am pleased that I was able to fulfill the wish of my beloved predecessor, Pope Francis, who greatly wished to be here. In truth, he is with us in spirit, walking alongside other witnesses of the Gospel who await us in God’s eternal embrace. We are heirs to what they believed in, heirs of the faith, hope, and love that filled them.
I witnessed the great honor your people give to Our Lady, beloved by both Christians and Muslims. I prayed at the tomb of Saint Charbel and realized the deep spiritual roots of this country: the rich heritage in your history supports the difficult journey toward the future! I was deeply moved during my short visit to the Beirut port, where the explosion destroyed not only the place but also the lives of many. I prayed for all the victims and carry with me the pain and thirst for truth and justice for the many families and for your entire country.
During these few days, I met many faces and shook many hands, drawing from this physical and inner connection a source of hope. You are strong like the cedar trees of your beautiful mountains, and full of fruit like the olives that grow in the plains, the south, and near the sea. I greet all the regions of Lebanon that I could not visit: Tripoli and the North, the Bekaa, and the South, which is living a particular state of conflict and instability. I embrace everyone and send wishes of peace to all.
I also make a heartfelt appeal: let the attacks and acts of hostility stop. Let no one think anymore that armed conflict brings any benefit. Weapons kill, while negotiation, mediation, and dialogue build. Let us all choose peace, and let peace be our path, not just our goal!
Let us remember what Saint Pope John Paul II told you: Lebanon is more than a country, it is a message! Let us learn to work together and hope together to make this a reality.
May God bless the people of Lebanon, all of you, the Middle East, and all humanity! Thank you and farewell!”
After completing his speech, His Holiness proceeded to the plane’s stairs, accompanied by President Aoun and the First Lady, greeting the faithful believers present at the airport. He then boarded the plane, concluding his historic visit to Lebanon.