Pope calls for peace, unity on 2nd day of Lebanon tour

Pope Leo XIV urged peace and unity on his second day in Lebanon yesterday, bringing a message of hope to young people whose faith in their crisis-hit country has dwindled.

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After arriving from Turkey on his inaugural visit abroad as pontiff, Leo urged Lebanon’s leaders to serve their long-suffering people, who have emigrated in droves from the Mediterranean country.

Lebanon is reeling from a six-year economic collapse widely blamed on official corruption and mismanagement, and many also fear renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah despite a ceasefire in November 2024 that sought to end more than a year of hostilities.