The Holy Father visited “De la Croix” Hospital in Jal ed Dib, from where he traveled to the port of Beirut to pray silently at the site where an explosion on August 4, 2020, caused serious damage, killing more than 200 people and injuring some 7,000.

Later, Leo XIV presided over Holy Mass at Beirut Waterfront in the Lebanese capital, after which he traveled to the airport terminal, where a farewell ceremony took place, attended by the President of that Arab nation, Joseph Aoun.

At this final event, shortly before boarding the plane, the Bishop of Rome stated that he was deeply moved by his brief visit to the port of Beirut, “where the explosion devastated not only a place, but so many lives.”

“I prayed for all the victims and I carry with me the pain and the thirst for truth and justice of so many families, of an entire country,” he said.

He referred generally to the positive results of his apostolic journey to the two nations, where in Turkiye he attended the commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, and expressed that “having met, we will move forward together.”

Finally, Pope Leo XIV called for “an end to the attacks and hostilities, so that no one believes that armed struggle brings any benefit,” adding that while “weapons kill, negotiation, mediation, and dialogue build,” and therefore, “let us choose peace as the path, not just the goal!”

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