Beirut – “It is not just a simple institutional visit, but an important moment of consolation, truth, and awakening of conscience for Lebanon and the whole world,” said the Apostolic Vicar for Latin Rite Catholics in Lebanon, Bishop César Essayan, O.F.M.Conv., regarding the upcoming trip of Pope Leo XIV to the land of the Cedars.
In addition to looking forward to the visit, he hopes it will represent a “decisive turning point toward better times” for a nation shaken by numerous crises. In his letter to Fides, the prelate emphasizes that, amidst profound disappointments and an unprecedented socio-economic crisis, the Lebanese people expect from the Pope not only a message of consolation, but above all a powerful “cry for justice” that will resonate internationally.
The Apostolic Vicar outlines the three symbolic stages of the visit, each with its own special meaning. The Pope’s prayer at the tomb of Saint Charbel Makhlouf in the Monastery of San Maroun, a place of spiritual retreat, will be a moment of prayer and a search for inner peace for the entire nation. The Holy Father will also visit a psychiatric hospital, “a symbolic choice to encounter the marginalized and suffering, thus bearing witness to the Church’s particular attention to the most vulnerable and to the often invisible wounds of society.” Another important event will be the prayer at the Port of Beirut.
“As the epicenter of the tragedy of the explosion of August 4, 2020, it will be the scene of a solemn and unequivocal appeal for justice and truth, giving a voice to the families of the victims and to the entire population demanding answers.”
A Conventual Franciscan, Bishop César Essayan was born in 1962 in Saida to an Armenian family and has headed the Apostolic Vicariate for Latin Rite Catholics in Lebanon since 2016, responsible for the Latin faithful throughout the country. During these years, marked by the port explosion, economic collapse, and new waves of displaced persons, the prelate has become the voice of the most vulnerable communities, and forcefully called upon the international community and local political leaders to take responsibility.
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