Bkirki: After blessing the large crowd gathered in Bkirki’s courtyard, His Holiness Pope Leo received a number of symbolic gifts representing Lebanon and its people in all their diversity, as he stood at the platform designated for his throne with Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi to his right. Promises were made to His Holiness that Lebanon would be a beacon of peace, and the Pope, in turn, bestowed his apostolic blessing upon Lebanon and its people.

According to National News Agency – Lebanon, in his welcoming words, Patriarch al-Rahi addressed Pope Leo with a heartfelt message, saying, “Welcome to Lebanon, this country small in size, but grande in message.” He highlighted Lebanon’s unique reception, not with opulence, but with the tenderness of its wounds, offering its most precious possessions: tears transformed into pearls of hope and mountains that have become altars of supplication and prayer.

Patriarch al-Rahi emphasized the aspirations of Lebanon’s youth to build a new nation that embraces its diverse religious and cultural affiliations. He stressed that the youth desire a homeland where faith acts as a unifying force, where diversity is celebrated as an asset, and where peace triumphs over hatred to foster lasting brotherhood.