(ANS – Bkerké) – For his last event on the first full day in Lebanon, December 1, Pope Leo XIV met with young people in Bkerké, Lebanon. The event began with the testimonies of volunteers and young people, before two more asked the Holy Father questions. Then Pope Leo XIV urges them not to give into despair, rather to cultivate friendships rooted in genuine love and to keep the enthusiasm that is needed “to change the course of history.”

In his speech, the Pope began by addressing those present with the “greeting of the Risen Jesus”, “assalamu alaikum” or peace be with you.

The enthusiasm they all feel, the Pope highlighted, “expresses God’s loving closeness, which brings us together as brothers and sisters to share our faith in him and our communion with one another.” Specifically, he welcomed the young people from Syria and Iraq as well as all the Lebanese who have returned from living abroad.

There is still time

Turning back to the testimonies from Anthony, Maria, Elie, and Joelle—whom they heard before the Pope’s address—the Holy Father emphasized that theirs were stories of “courage in the midst of suffering, hope in the face of disappointment, and inner peace during times of war.”

The history of Lebanon is full of both glorious and difficult moments. In this storied past, Pope Leo encouraged the young people not to lose hope. “Perhaps you regret inheriting a world torn apart by wars and disfigured by social injustice. Yet, there is hope within you—a gift that we adults seem to have lost,” he lamented. “There is still time to plan, dream, and do good”.

He reminded them that they are the present and the future and that they are the ones who can change the course of history. Evil is not the antidote to evil, but rather the answer is love. The witness of the four testimonies “are prophecies of a new future that will be ushered in through reconciliation and mutual help.”

Christ as a foundation to peace

Lebanon, the homeland of these young people, will flourish once again, Pope Leo stressed. Looking to the example of the cedar tree—the national emblem—he noted how the tree’s strength lies in its roots, as is the same for the people of Lebanon. The Holy Father urged the young people to “draw from the good roots of those dedicated to serving society without using it for their own interests.”

He called them to be the source of hope that the country needs. Pope Leo pointed out that the questions the two young people asked help plot a course for the future. The first question involved finding a solid foundation on which to persevere in the commitment to peace, which the Pope emphasized cannot be an idea, contract or moral principle. The risen Christ must be this foundation.

Peace, however, can only be authentic if it is not the result of partisan aims. It is true that “forgiveness leads to justice, which is the foundation of peace.”

True friendship does not have a time limit

The second question asked to the Pope was about keeping relationships grounded in genuine love. The Holy Father explained the need to avoid letting our personal interests take precedence over trusting in and caring for others. He warned that “if our ego is at the center of a friendship or loving relationship, it cannot bear fruit.”

True love, Pope Leo noted, is not temporary, rather it cannot have a time limit. Moreover, genuine friendship is when “you” is placed before “I”. “This respectful and welcoming way of looking at others”, he highlighted, “makes it possible for us to build a greater “we”, open to society as a whole and to all of humanity.

Firm friendships are built on shared trust and the “forever” that is at the heart of every call to family and religious life.

Not to be discouraged

Love is the greatest expression of God’s presence in the world. Charity is a universal language “because it speaks to every heart.” Pope Leo explained that charity is not just an idea, but it is a story that reveals the lives of Jesus and the saints—who accompany us in the challenges of our lives.

Think of the many young people—who like those present in this square—have refused to be discouraged by injustices and bad examples, even those in the Church. Rather, they are working to create new paths in search of Heaven and its justice.

The Holy Father then reminded the young people of the examples of Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati, Carlo Acutis, and the many Lebanese saints, such as St. Rafqa, Blessed Yakub El-Haddad, and St. Charbel.

In a world overwhelmed with distractions, the Pope encouraged the young people to “take time each day to close your eyes and look only at God.” Though He may seem quiet, Pope Leo stressed that God speaks to those who look for Him in the silence.

Closing, the Pope highlighted the beauty that many young people carry a rosary with them. He urged them to keep the St. Francis of Assisi prayer for peace (Lord, make me an instrument of your peace) in their hearts and minds to help keep Christian enthusiasm alive within them.

Lebanese youth: Pope Leo is like a ‘big brother’ bringing peace

For their part, Lebanese young people share their thoughts about the Pope’s meeting and explain what life is like as a young person in a country that has faced multiple crises in the last decades.

“After these hardships in our country, the Pope is here to give us a new kind of peace and joy, to make us feel seen, it’s like when a big brother visits his younger brother.”

This is how Ralph Sarkis, 24 years old, described Pope Leo XIV’s meeting on Monday, December 1, with 15,000 young people in the square in front of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch in Bkerké, close to Beirut.

The atmosphere was like a small World Youth Day as the square and the surrounding spaces were filled to the brim with excited young people sporting scarves with the papal visit’s logo and waving Lebanese and Holy See flags.

They had come from all over Lebanon and cheered, danced and clapped as they waited for the Pope to offer them encouraging words, especially in the face of the various issues that the Land of the Cedars has faced in the last decades. 

The young Christians at the event see these hardships clearly and are unanimous in saying that being a young person in Lebanon today is hard. However, they are unwavering in their desire to build a stable country and a better future, many drawing also from their faith to find hope and strength.

The inability to build a future

“The main hardships started in 2020 with the blast of Beirut, we lost a lot of our friends,” Ralph said. “Many of our friends have also left the country. For example, my brother left to find peace and stability.”

Despite his own doubts about whether he should leave, he ultimately decided to remain. “I believe that the plan of Jesus Christ was for me to stay. I feel like the Lord is advising me to stay and have my own mission here,” he continued.

“At this age, other young people are really working on themselves. For us, it’s harder because there is always something happening in the country, so whenever you make a plan, there is always something that will change it,” Janice Ghossoub, 24 years old, shared: “We have a lot more to worry about. Building for the future is very hard.”

But like Ralph, she doesn’t see herself anywhere else: “I love Lebanon, I love the spirit we have, I love my family, my friends. We are very social people, we love communities, we love our people a lot, so this is the main reason we stay,” she said.

Finding strength in faith

For them, their faith is an anchor in the face of these struggles that they have no control over, and the Pope’s visit strengthens this. “It’s important for us as Lebanese Christians to feel heard. Seeing the head of the Catholic Church visiting us is important,” Ralph explained. He encouraged all young people “in Lebanon and all over the world to seek the Lord, really seek him, he is the only hope you need.”

“Due to the economic crisis, many of our young people are losing their faith, but we are Lebanese, we are Christians, we are sons and daughters of God, with Him nothing is impossible,” shared instead Ralph Yammine, a member of the Lebanese scouts who was helping to organize the meeting. He insisted also that “all the people in Lebanon are in need of peace” and “Pope Leo is here to teach us this peace and we have the best example of peace, which is Jesus Christ.”

Marie-Lyne El Hayek, 25 years old, highlighted how hope also comes from having faith: “I always like it when we gather around Jesus with all the youth. It’s tough being a young person in Lebanon. It’s a great country, but it’s hard; you need a lot of faith to persist. The Pope’s presence here shows us that we should always have a strong faith because better days are coming.”

“The Pope’s visit is bringing a lot of hope because we’ve lost it recently a little bit,” Janice emphasized instead: “It’s nice to see everybody united. Even Muslims, not only Christians, see how they received him, how they celebrated his coming. It gives us a glimpse of hope of living together, all of us.”

Source: Vatican News