Pope in Lebanon asks for ‘gift of peace’ alongside Christian and Muslim leaders

Pope Leo XIV (Hussein Malla/AP)

Pope Leo XIV has celebrated Lebanon’s tradition of interfaith co-existence as a beacon of hope for a conflict-torn region, as he asked for “the divine gift of peace” alongside the country’s Christian and Muslim religious leaders.

He received a raucous welcome from the crowds and a sincere greeting from its spiritual leaders on his first full day in Lebanon, where billboards with his image dotted major roads around the capital.