From AP:
Pope Leo XIV is visiting holy sites in Lebanon on Monday, seeking to recognize the country’s religious pluralism and send a message to Christians not to abandon the region.
Over the past few decades, hundreds of thousands of Christians have left parts of the Middle East for good, driven by wars and the rise of Muslim extremists. Leo arrived in Beirut on Sunday after a visit to Turkey that began last week. He challenged Lebanon’s political leaders to be true peacemakers and put their differences aside as he sought to give Lebanon’s long-suffering people a message of hope and bolster a crucial Christian community in the Middle East.