Pope encourages young Lebanese people to build a future of peace

– Cindy Wooden, Beirut (Lebanon), CNS

“The true opposition to evil is not evil, but love, a love capable of healing one's own wounds and at the same time caring for the wounds of others,” said Pope Leo XIV on December 1, when he met with thousands of young people in front of the headquarters of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch in Bkerké, overlooking Beirut.

Pope Leo met with 15,000 young people after meeting with their elders, representatives of the country's Christian, Muslim, Druze, and Alawite communities, in Martyrs' Square in Beirut. This is a place that pays tribute to those who fought for Lebanon's independence and were executed there in 1916. The martyrs came from all religious communities.

Two questions for the Pope

During their meeting, the young people asked the Pope two questions: how to maintain inner peace and hope “in a country deprived of stability, both in terms of security and the economy.” And how to keep families, marriages, and friendships strong in a world dominated by the digital and the ephemeral.

Pope Leo told them to look for good examples around them.

“Take advantage of the good roots of those who dedicate themselves to serving society without using them for their own interests,” he said. “With a generous commitment to justice, let's plan together for a future of peace and development. Be the source of hope that the country is waiting for!”.

Jesus, the first one we should turn to

For Christians, the Pope said, Jesus is the first person we should turn to for help, both in peace and in relationships, because both require love.

“If our ego is at the center of a friendship or romantic relationship, it cannot bear fruit,” he said. “Similarly, it is not true love if we only love temporarily, while the feeling lasts: if love has a time limit, it is not true love.”.

Love and charity express God's presence in the world “more than anything else,” the Pope told them. “Charity speaks a universal language, because it reaches every heart.”.

Friendship with Christ and people of other cultures and religions

Pope Leo encouraged them to look to the example of their contemporaries who have not been discouraged “by injustices and negative examples, even those within the Church. On the contrary, they have sought to forge new paths in search of the kingdom of God and his justice.”.

“Drawing on the strength you receive from Christ, build a world better than the one you have inherited,” he told them, and make friends with people of different cultures and religions.

“The true renewal desired by a young heart begins with everyday gestures: welcoming those near and far, offering a hand to friends and refugees, forgiving enemies: a difficult but necessary task,” said Pope Leo.

Walking together

Syrian Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan welcomed the Pope to the ecumenical and interfaith gathering in Martyrs“ Square. ”With the grace of the Almighty, the Heavenly Father, according to us Christians, and Almighty Allah Ta’ala, according to our Muslim brothers and sisters, we commit ourselves to walk together,“ he told them. ”Always inspired by the hope that never disappoints, to become builders of true peace in Lebanon and in all the countries of the Middle East.”.

Pope Leo was also welcomed by the leaders of the country's Sunni and Shia Muslim communities, the spiritual leader of the Druze, the patriarchs of the Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, and Armenian Orthodox churches, and the president of the Evangelical Christian community.

There were also women

All of the speakers were men, but there were many women in the audience who were involved in the search for peace and dialogue.

Mireille Hamouche, an Orthodox Greek woman married to a Maronite, is part of the Women's Network for Peacebuilding in Lebanon.

“I can assure you that, behind the scenes, the real protagonists and activists for peace are mainly women,” she told Catholic News Service. “This has been the case throughout history because, obviously, after every war, there are more women than men left in a society,” and it is they who must “heal society” once the fighting is over.

Central role of faith

In a tent in the shade of the Mohammad Al Amin Mosque in Beirut, Pope Leo said to the leaders that the central role of faith in Lebanese life is obvious.

Dear friends, your presence here today, in this unique place where minarets and bell towers stand side by side, yet both rise toward the sky, bears witness to the unshakable faith of this land and the steadfast devotion of its people to the one God.

The Pope prayed that every toll of the bell and every call to prayer would “merge into a single, lofty hymn, not only to glorify the merciful Creator of heaven and earth, but also to raise a heartfelt prayer for the divine gift of peace.”.

Middle East: focusing on what unites us

Too often, he said, when people think of the Middle East, they think of an ongoing conflict.

“However,” said Pope Leo, “amidst these struggles, a sense of hope and encouragement can be found when we focus on what unites us: our common humanity and our belief in a God of love and mercy.”.

“At a time when coexistence may seem like a distant dream,” he said, «the people of Lebanon, while embracing different religions, are a powerful reminder that fear, mistrust, and prejudice do not have the final say, and that unity, reconciliation, and peace are possible.”.

Pope Leo told them that religious leaders must be “builders of peace: confronting intolerance, overcoming violence, and banishing exclusion, illuminating the path toward justice and harmony for all through the witness of your faith.”.

Example of the saints

Let us consider how many wonderful examples the saints have left us, exclaimed Pope Leo. “Let us think of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, two young men canonized in this Holy Year of Jubilee. Let us look at the many Lebanese saints. What unique beauty is manifested in the life of Saint Rafqa, who with strength and gentleness endured the pain of illness for years!.

León XIV also quoted the blessed Yakub El-Hadda, and Saint Charbel, “who has become one of the symbols of Lebanon throughout the world,” whose tomb he visited in the morning. He then recalled what Pope Benedict XVI said to Christians in the Levant: “I invite you to continually cultivate true friendship with Jesus through the power of prayer” (Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, 63).

“Mary shines brightly”

“Dear friends, among all the saints, Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, shines brightly!” said the Pope. “Many young people always carry a rosary in their pocket, on their wrist, or around their neck. How beautiful it is to look at Jesus with the eyes of Mary's heart! Even from here, where we are now, how sweet it is to look up to Our Lady of Lebanon with hope and trust!”.