Pope Leo XIV celebrated Lebanon’s tradition of interfaith coexistence Monday 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.

Leo received a raucous, ululating welcome from the crowds and a sincere welcome from its spiritual leaders on his first full day in Lebanon, where billboards with his image dotted highways around the capital. Thousands of ordinary Lebanese braved a steady rain in the morning to line his motorcade route, some throwing flower petals and rice on his car in a gesture of welcome.

History’s first American pope is on his maiden papal voyage, and it has taken him to the heart of Christianity: First to Turkey to commemorate a founding profession of the Christian faith and now to Lebanon to encourage an ancient Christian community in a country that is unique in the Arab world for its religious tolerance.

The highlight of his day was an interfaith meeting in Martyr’s Square in Beirut, with the country’s Christian patriarchs and Sunni, Shiite and Druze spiritual leaders gathered under a tent. After listening to hymns and readings from the Bible and Quran, Leo praised Lebanon’s tradition of religious tolerance as a beacon for «the divine gift of peace» in the region.

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«In an age when coexistence can seem like a distant dream, the people of Lebanon, while embracing different religions, stand as a powerful reminder that fear, distrust and prejudice do not have the final word, and that unity, reconciliation, and peace are possible,» he said.

Leo’s remarks underscored the vital importance of Lebanon and its Christian community to the Catholic Church, a place that St. John Paul II famously said was more than just a country, but a message of freedom to the rest of the world. At the end of the event, the spiritual leaders planted an olive sapling as a symbol of peace.

While Lebanon is now often cited as a model of religious coexistence, it hasn’t always been that way. The country’s civil war from 1975 to 1990 was largely fought along sectarian lines.

A visit at a tense time

Leo’s visit comes at a newly tenuous time for the tiny Mediterranean country after years of conflict, economic crises and political deadlock, punctuated by the 2020 Beirut port blast. At a time of conflict in Gaza and worsening political tensions in Lebanon, Leo’s visit has been welcomed by the Lebanese as a sign of hope.

«We, as Lebanese, need this visit after all the wars, crises and despair that we have lived through,» said the Rev. Youssef Nasr, the secretary-general of Catholic Schools in Lebanon. «The pope’s visit gives a new push to the Lebanese to rise and cling to their country.»

More recently, Lebanon has been deeply divided over calls for Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group and political party, to disarm after fighting a war with Israel last year that left the country deeply damaged. Despite a ceasefire, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes targeting Hezbollah members.

The Grand Sunni Muslim Mufti of Lebanon, Abdul-Latif Derian, welcomed Leo at the interfaith event and recalled the good relations forged by his predecessor, Pope Francis. He cited the 2019 joint statement on human fraternity signed by Francis and the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the seat of Sunni learning in Cairo, Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayeb.

«Lebanon is the land of this message,» Derian said.

A top Lebanese Shiite Muslim cleric, Ali al-Khatib, deputy head of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, urged Leo to help Lebanon end Israel’s attacks amid rising concerns in the Mediterranean country of wider Israeli strikes.

«We put Lebanon in your hands so that maybe the world helps us,» al-Khatib said.

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A prayer at a saint revered by Christians and Muslims

Leo opened his day by praying at the tomb of St. Charbel Makhlouf, a Lebanese saint revered by many Christians and Muslims.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, Christian and Muslim, visit the tomb at the hilltop monastery of St. Maroun overlooking the sea at Annaya, around 25 miles from Beirut.

Bells rang out as Leo’s covered popemobile snaked its way through the rain to the monastery where Leo prayed quietly in the darkened tomb and offered a lamp as a gift of light for the community there.

Leo was moving through Lebanon in a closed popemobile, a contrast with Francis, who eschewed bulletproof popemobiles throughout his 12-year pontificate. Lebanese troops deployed on both sides of the roads all along his motorcade routes, but his warm welcome underscored the joy his visit had brought.

Pope Leo XIV prays by the tomb of Saint Charbel Makhlouf at the Monastery of Saint Maroun on Dec. 1, 2025, in Annaya, Lebanon. (Domenico Stinellis, Pool/AP Photo)

Many Lebanese posted footage of the welcome alongside a widely shared hot mic video of Queen Rania of Jordan, during an October visit to the Vatican, asking Leo if it was safe to go to Lebanon. Leo’s response, «Well, we’re going,» had cheered Lebanese who were otherwise offended by the suggestion that Lebanon wasn’t safe for the pope to visit.

Leo ended the day at a jubilant rally of Lebanese youth at Bkerki, the seat of the Maronite Church, where he sought to encourage them to persevere and not leave the country as many others have done.

«This is an unforgettable moment,» said Nawal Ghossein, a Maronite Catholic who welcomed the pope with a group from her church. «We are so proud because we are Christians. So proud!»

Pope Leo XIV attends a meeting at Martyrs’ Square on Dec. 1, 2025, in Beirut, Lebanon. (Mohammad Zaatari/AP Photo)

A plea for Christians to stay

Today, Christians make up around a third of Lebanon’s 5 million people, giving the small nation on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East.

A power-sharing agreement in place since independence from France calls for the president to be a Maronite Christian, making Lebanon the only Arab country with a Christian head of state

The Vatican sees Christian presence as a bulwark for the church in the region.

Lebanese Christians have endured in their ancestral homeland even after an exodus following the country’s civil war. The region has also seen Christians from Iraq and Syria fleeing in large numbers after the rise of the Islamic State Group, which was defeated in 2019 after losing its last stronghold in Syria.

«We will stay here,» said May Noon, a pilgrim waiting for Leo outside the St. Charbel Monastery. «No one can uproot us from this country. We must live in it as brothers because the church has no enemy.»

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Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay accompanied a group of 60 people from the Lebanese diaspora in Australia not only to welcome Leo and join in his prayer for peace but also to reinforce Christian presence in the country.

«Even though we live abroad, we feel that we need to support young people and the families to stay here,» he said. «We don’t like to see more and more people leaving Lebanon, especially Christians.»

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey and Maj. Gen. James Seward, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, provided an update Monday on their operations in Washington as well as the condition of critically wounded guardsman, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.

Wolfe, of Inwood, West Virginia, and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, of Webster Springs, West Virginia, were shot – Beckstrom fatally – allegedly by Afghan evacuee Rahmanullah Lakanwal of Bellingham, Washington, on Wednesday as they patrolled outside the Farragut West Metro station not far from the White House.

Morrisey said Wolfe has been upgraded to serious condition, a step down from the previously reported «critical» status.

«I’m not the doctor, and I’m not going to try to pretend to be so,» Morrisey said of speculation about the future of Wolfe’s condition.

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Morrisey said Wolfe’s condition appears to be improving, telling reporters in Charleston that there had been some «positive news» from friends and family in the hospital.

«Andrew was asked if he could hear the nurse who asked the question to give a ‘thumbs up’ and he did respond,» the governor said, calling the soldier’s mother, Melody, «such a positive force» and that she and her husband, Jason’s top request of the public is to continue to offer prayers.

Morrisey said he attended a vigil for Beckstrom in Webster County over the weekend, and traveled to the Eastern Panhandle for a prayer service for Wolfe that was held in Martinsburg, only 80 miles from Farragut Square.

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Seward and Morrisey spent Thanksgiving Day with the National Guardsmen at the Armory. A video from Morrisey’s social media feed indicated he met with personnel at the Washington, D.C., base.

«Every single one of the people there are volunteering,» he said, confirming 170 remain active in Washington.

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National Guard members patrol in Washington, Nov. 27, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He called the attack an «unspeakable evil,» and said West Virginia has not been asked to deploy additional troops beyond the rotations it has been contributing to-date.

«They’re volunteering because they believe in the mission – they want to support the state of West Virginia, and they want to support the country.»

As for the future of the Guard’s activities in the Mountain State, Morrisey said he has been in touch with President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, and will defer to them on their processes.

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He underlined, however, that service in the Guard’s Washington mission is all-volunteer.

Of the shooting itself, Morrisey condemned media pundits who have speculated and want to «wrongly go to different places.»

«We’re not going to do that. At this point, that investigation is ongoing. The most important thing I can [say is] the citizens of West Virginia are rightfully angry about what’s happened right now,» he said.

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Maj. Gen. James Seward, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG via DoD)

«Justice must be done in this case. Justice will be meted out.»

Morrisey said he supports Trump’s call for new vetting proposals for «undocumented aliens» and loopholes to be closed in refugee vetting.

Seward said the Guard numbers about 6,000 statewide and that members have been shaken by Beckstrom’s killing and Wolfe’s injuries.

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«When we lose one of our family members, I can tell you that every guardsmen I talk to is grieving,» he said.

President Donald Trump described it as «very important» that «nothing» transpire to derail Syria’s transformation «into a prosperous state.»

The commander-in-chief’s cryptic comments come days after Israel engaged in an operation in Syria.

«The United States is very satisfied with the results displayed, through hard work and determination, in the Country of Syria. We are doing everything within our power to make sure the Government of Syria continues to do what was intended, which is substantial, in order to build a true and prosperous Country. One of the things that has helped them greatly was my termination of very strong and biting sanctions — I believe this was truly appreciated by Syria, its Leadership, and its People!» the president said in the Truth Social post.

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«It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State. The new President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together. This is a historic opportunity, and adds to the SUCCESS, already attained, for PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST!» Trump added.

The IDF noted last week that troops were wounded during action in Syria.

A post on X explained that «IDF troops conducted an operation to apprehend suspects from the Jaama Islamiya terrorist organization operating in the Beit Jinn area of southern Syria. During the activity, several armed terrorists opened fire at the troops. IDF soldiers responded with live fire, supported by aerial assistance.»

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«As a result of the incident, several reservists were injured and were evacuated to the hospital to receive medical treatment. The operation concluded with all suspects apprehended and several terrorists eliminated,» the IDF post noted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump spoke on Monday.

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport before boarding his plane to Sharm El-Sheikh, on Oct. 13, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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«The two leaders stressed the importance and obligation of disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, and discussed expanding the peace agreements,» the office of the prime minister noted on X. «US President Trump invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to a meeting at the White House in the near future,» another post added.