Pope Leo XIV began his second day in Lebanon on Monday with a deeply symbolic pilgrimage to the Monastery of Saint Maroun in Annaya, where he placed the country under the protection of Saint Charbel. 

Undeterred by steady rain, crowds of worshippers made their way to the monastery from the early morning hours to welcome the pontiff. Pope Leo arrived to a scene of packed courtyards, chants, and celebratory ululations. President Joseph Aoun and the First Lady greeted him at the entrance, alongside Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi, the Superior General of the Maronite Order, the abbot of the monastery, and a large gathering of monks and clergy.

The pope toured the monastery grounds as bells rang and the community choir sang hymns. He paused at the tomb of Saint Charbel, where he knelt in silent prayer. Before leaving the crypt, he lit a candle he had brought from Rome as a personal gift to the monastery.

Delivering a message from Annaya, Pope Leo said he thanked God “for granting us the grace to come to this place.” He prayed that the Lord — who enlightened Saint Charbel, a monk who “guarded silence in a hidden life” — would help believers “walk through the world’s deserts while fighting the good battle of faith.”

The pontiff widened his prayer to the region, adding that he was pleading “for peace across the world, and especially for Lebanon and for the entire Middle East.”

Though the hermit left no writings, the pope said his life continues to speak with unusual clarity. The saint, he noted, teaches “those who live far from God how to pray, those submerged in noise how to rediscover silence,” and “those who seek outward display how to embrace humility, and those who chase wealth how to rediscover simplicity.”

This message, he added, is directed to all Christians but “reminds us as bishops and ordained ministers of the Gospel’s demanding call.”

The pope described Saint Charbel’s intercession as “a flowing river of mercy,” recalling in particular the monthly pilgrimage held on the 22nd of every month in memory of a miracle granted to a woman named Nouhad El Chami; a devotion that continues to draw thousands.

Pope Leo also prayed for unity within the Church and renewed peace in Lebanon and the broader Levant, warning that “peace cannot take root unless hearts are transformed.” As a gesture of spiritual entrustment, he presented the monastery with a lit lamp and prayed that the country might “walk steadfastly in the light of Christ.”

He closed his visit with a prayer in French, asking God, through the example of Saint Charbel, to grant the Lebanese people deep faith, inner stillness, healing of body and spirit, and the strength to persevere through hardship.