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Hello, my name is Laure Delacloche and I just spent three days reporting on the visit of Pope Leo to Lebanon for ONE magazine. These were three extremely intense, exhilarating days from which I will keep one emotion: joy. I interviewed more Lebanese filled with joy over these past three days than in the five years I’ve been working here in Lebanon.
During this time, I was especially struck by the joy I saw on the faces of the sisters, priests and pastoral workers I interviewed moments before Pope Leo met with clergy, religious and lay pastoral workers in the Basilica of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa. Some had come from California or Australia and others from small villages across the country.
I usually interview church workers when they’re very busy, and very often we focus on issues that deeply affect the Lebanese, such as the lack of access to education and health care, the lack of funding to support those in need, growing poverty and the consequences of war and communities. They often take me to meet families in extremely difficult situations. It’s not rare for people to cry while I interview them.
The pope’s visit felt like a much-needed break. For three days, I witnessed enthusiasm, excitement and hope. In Harissa, I saw sisters waving Lebanese and Vatican flags with fervor and chanting, “Viva il papa.” Some of the people I interviewed even filmed me as I interviewed them. They were making happy memories.
I believe that on that day in that magnificent basilica overlooking the Virgin Mary statue and the Bay of Jounieh, one of Lebanon’s most beautiful bays, I saw several thousand people involved in social and pastoral work recharge their batteries.
I also kept a constant eye on the news during those three days, a habit I took since the war started in October 2023. While Pope Leo and political and religious leaders all emphasized the importance of peace, two villages in the south were being bombed by the Israeli army. On Tuesday, upon his departure from Lebanon, Pope Leo expressed regrets for the regions he could not visit, especially the south. He said that armed conflicts bring no solution.
And minutes later, when his aircraft left Lebanese airspace, the buzzing of the Israeli drone resumed over Beirut. Many across the country now brace for a potential escalation of the war.
Read Laure Delacloche’s reporting on the pope’s visit to Lebanon on the CNEWA blog. Start with “Pope to Religious Leaders: ‘Be Builders of Peace’ ”