Pope Leo arrives in Lebanon. He is to appeal for peace amid Israeli attacks

This is the second and final part of his first foreign trip as head of the Catholic Church. Earlier, he spent four days in Turkey, where he warned that the future of humanity is threatened by bloody conflicts and condemned violence committed in the name of religion.

He is due to arrive in Beirut in the afternoon, after which he will meet the president and prime minister and deliver a message to Lebanese leaders. Lebanon, which has the largest proportion of Christians in the Middle East, has been hit by the spillover from the Gaza conflict and the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lebanon's leadership fears a further escalation of Israeli attacks in the coming months, while the country also faces an economic crisis and hosts around a million Syrian and Palestinian refugees. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassim expressed hope that the Pope's visit would help stop the attacks.

The visit has sparked a positive response across communities. The Druze spiritual leader Sami Abi al-Muna stressed that Lebanon "needs a glimmer of hope". Lev, elected in May and so far little known on the global stage, has been under a lot of scrutiny during the trip.

On Saturday, he visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque, entering a Muslim prayer space for the first time as pope, but ultimately did not perform the prayer. On Sunday, he attended an Orthodox liturgy led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who appealed to Christians to stand united in condemning the war.

Leo has a packed schedule in Lebanon, including a visit to the site of the devastating 2020 Beirut port blast, celebrating Mass in the open air and touring a psychiatric hospital. However, he is not travelling to the south of the country, which is affected by Israeli attacks.

(reuters, sab)