A Triply Divided Lebanon Anxiously Awaits a New Pope

November 24, 2025 World News

A memorial plaque at the shrine of Our Lady of Ilige in Mayfouk commemorates Maronite Patriarch Gebrael Hjoula, burned alive by the Mamluks in 1367. His martyrdom is part of the long, complex history of Lebanon’s Christians, a history Pope Leo XIV will engage with during his upcoming visit to a country facing renewed tension and uncertainty.

ANALYSIS: Despite a Christian legacy that goes back 1,000 years, Lebanon, awaiting Pope Leo XIV’s visit, is a country is on edge.