Pope says Middle East needs 'new approaches' to reject violence

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Pope Leo XIV told a crowd in Lebanon on Tuesday that the Middle East needed new approaches to rejecting violence and overcoming divisions, while urging Christians in the region to “have courage”.

He made the appeal on his third day in the country at the end of his first trip abroad as pontiff, after arriving on Sunday from Turkey.

Pope Leo said he wanted “to come as a pilgrim of hope to the Middle East, imploring God for the gift of peace for this beloved land, marked by instability, wars and suffering”.

“The Middle East needs new approaches in order to reject the mindset of revenge and violence, to overcome political, social and religious divisions, and to open new chapters in the name of reconciliation and peace,” he said at the conclusion of a mass in Beirut attended by some 150,000 people.

“I especially pray for beloved Lebanon. I ask the international community once again to spare no effort in promoting processes of dialogue and reconciliation,” he said.

He also made “a heartfelt appeal to those who hold political and social authority here and in all countries marked by war and violence. Listen to the cry of your peoples who are calling for peace.”

“Let us all place ourselves at the service of life, the common good and the integral development of people,” he added.

Despite ceasefire that sought to end hostilities between Israel and militant group Hezbollah, Israel has kept up strikes in Lebanon and many fear a further escalation.

“Christians of the Levant, citizens of these lands in every respect, I repeat, have courage. The whole Church looks to you with affection and admiration,” he added.