BEIRUT: Pope Leo arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, where he is expected to appeal for peace in a country that is a continued target of Israeli air strikes, on the second and final leg of his first overseas trip as leader of the Catholic Church. The first US pope flew from Türkiye and warned that humanity's future was at risk because of the world's unusual number of bloody conflicts and condemned violence in the name of religion.
Hours before Leo's arrival, crowds gathered along the roads from the airport to the presidential palace, waving Lebanese and Vatican flags. He will meet the president and prime minister and make an address, only his second to a foreign government.
Lebanon's diverse communities have also welcomed the papal trip. His convoy will pass through Beirut's southern suburbs, an area where Hezbollah holds sway and that was battered in last year's strikes. The group's Imam Mehdi Scouts are to hold a welcoming ceremony by the roadside as the convoy passes. — Reuters
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