Pope Leo XIV, addressing the leaders of the government of Lebanon on Sunday, urged them to consider “what can be done to ensure that young people in particular do not feel compelled to leave their homeland and emigrate. ” He added rejecting migration is “very valuable” and requires “real courage.”
The head of the Catholic Church is on the second leg of his first international tour in that position, traveling to Lebanon after a first stop in Turkey for events commemorating the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, in which early Christian leaders agreed on the major tenets of the faith. In Istanbul, the pope addressed Turkey’s miniscule Christian population – ravaged by genocides throughout the 20th century – and offered them encouragement, urging them to use the “true strength” in the “logic of littleness” that they possess to thrive.
He also met with Orthodox and Muslim leaders and visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.
The pope then headed to Beirut to address Lebanon’s numerous Christian population, which remains among the largest in the majority-Muslim Middle East. Speaking to government leaders at the presidential residence, the Baabda Palace, on Sunday, he addressed the crisis of countries struggling with peace and prosperity losing significant percentages of their population to migration, particularly the young.
He noted that, while Catholics are “concerned about the dignity of those who move away from their own countries,” the Church also “does not want anyone to be forced to leave their country.”
“Moreover, the Church wants those who wish to return home to be able to do so safely,” he expressed. “While human mobility represents an immense opportunity for encounter and mutual enrichment, it does not erase the special ties that unite each person to certain places, to which they owe their identity in a very special way.”
“There are times when it is easier to flee, or simply more convenient to move elsewhere. It takes real courage and foresight to stay or return to one’s own country, and to consider even somewhat difficult situations worthy of love and dedication,” the pope noted. “We know that here, as in other parts of the world, uncertainty, violence, poverty and many other threats are leading to an exodus of young people and families seeking a future elsewhere, even though it is very painful to leave one’s homeland.”
“It is certainly necessary to recognize that much good can come to all of you from having Lebanese people spread throughout the world,” he continued. “However, we must not forget that remaining in our homeland and working day by day to develop a civilization of love and peace remains something very valuable.”
He asked leaders to contemplate major questions about migration: “How can we encourage them not to seek peace elsewhere, but to find guarantees of peace and become protagonists in their own native land?”
Pope Leo celebrated the Lebanese for their resilience and role historically as peacemakers.
Pope Leo XIV makes a 30-minute visit to the Carmelite Sisters of the Theotokos Harissa on the second leg of his first Apostolic Journey on November 30, 2025 in Harissa – Lebanon. ( Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
“Lebanese: you are a people who do not give up, but in the face of trials, always know how to rise again with courage. Your resilience is an essential characteristic of authentic peacemakers, for the work of peace is indeed a continuous starting anew,” he remarked.
The pope observed “a kind of pessimism and sense of powerlessness” pervading around the world, and indicated that Lebanese people can offer an example of leadership towards hope and away from despair.
“Major decisions appear to be taken by a select few, often to the detriment of the common good, as if this were an inevitable destiny,” the pope noted. “You have suffered greatly from the consequences of an economy that kills, from global instability that has devastating repercussions also in the Levant, and from the radicalization of identities and conflicts. But you have always wanted, and known how, to start again.”
The pope concluded urging Lebanese leaders to foster a “culture of reconciliation” and pursue peace.
The Catholic leaders remarks followed a lively welcome out of the Beirut airport in which he was greeted with traditional dabke dances and a performance by a children’s choir.
The pope arrived in Beirut on Sunday and addressed President Joseph Aoun and senior Lebanese leaders, then held meetings with various civil society leaders. On Sunday evening, he visited the Monastery of the Carmelite Sisters of the Theotokos in Harissa.
Pope Leo is expected to continue his visit on Monday with prayer at the tomb of Saint Charbel and meetings with Christian leaders in the city. On Tuesday, Pope Leo has scheduled what will likely be among the most dramatic events of his travels, a Mass on the Beirut waterfront and visit for prayer at the site of the 2020 port explosion, which devastated the capital.
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