Reporter’s Notebook: On the papal plane and beyond — covering Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip

Pope Leo XIV's archetypal overseas travel is over. A six-day pilgrimage to the Middle East wrapped up Tuesday successful Beirut.

We were successful conflict-torn Lebanon conscionable a fewer miles from the country's Ground Zero, wherever connected Aug. 4, 2020, a deadly blast successful Beirut's larboard killed implicit 200, injured thousands and near implicit 300,000 homeless.

Five years on, the Lebanese authorities has not concluded its probe into however the astir 3 tons of ammonium nitrate being stored successful the larboard combusted, resulting successful the largest non-nuclear detonation ever. Every 4th of the month, the families of victims spell to the larboard to protestation the authorities for its inaction and corruption.  

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Pope Leo XIV prays arsenic helium offered a 'silent prayer' for the victims of the 2020 larboard detonation astatine Beirut Port during his sojourn to Beirut, Lebanon, connected Dec. 2, 2025. (Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Pope Leo paid homage astatine the larboard with a soundless supplication and lit a lamp successful the victim's memory.

Earlier successful the day, Vatican property serviceman Salvatore Scolozzi was successful the marble hallway of Beirut's Intercontinental Phoenicia Hotel doing rotation telephone for the 80 journalists accredited.

All the windows of this luxury edifice were shattered during the 2020 explosion, injuring unit and guests and destroying each the furniture. "All the aerial seemed to beryllium sucked retired of the gathering and determination was solid flying and particulate everywhere," a unit subordinate told me, adding that determination were nary fatalities. After extended repairs, the edifice reopened successful 2023 but is inactive surrounded by skeletal burned-out buildings.

In the lobby, Salvatore warns, "Non fare ritardi VAMPS, don't beryllium late." He and his unit person worked for implicit a twelvemonth putting unneurotic this six-day circuit de unit pilgrimage to Turkey and Lebanon, primitively planned for the precocious Pope Francis.

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We are known collectively arsenic the VAMPS, the Vatican Accredited Media Personnel, and connected this travel we hail from 15 antithetic countries. After our 5:30 a.m. check-in for our instrumentality formation to Rome, the lobby chatter is focused connected what we should inquire the caller pontiff connected the much-anticipated in-flight property league en way to Rome.

Normally each connection radical comes up with a question for the presser, and statement tin get heated. "He volition ne'er spell there," was the remark aft 1 workfellow suggested we inquire if the Pope's predominant references to the important relation of women during the travel indicated helium would beryllium unfastened to women deacons.

Initially, determination was interest that Pope Leo mightiness not talk with journalists astatine each connected board.

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But we were relieved erstwhile the curtain opened connected our chartered Airbus formation from Istanbul to  Beirut and a alternatively bashful-looking Pope Leo took thorny questions specified arsenic the struggle successful Gaza, confirming the Vatican's years-long enactment of a two-state solution, but insisting, "Israel is our friend."

Pope Leo does not privation to polarize, helium is measured and diplomatic, and, six months into his papacy, appears to beryllium gaining assurance and making his speeches punchier. He kept to the publication successful his autochthonal English and, successful Lebanon, besides spoke successful fantabulous French and said a fewer words of Arabic arsenic helium pressed the request for bid betwixt section authorities, antithetic spiritual groups and the country's youth.

At Monday's evening solemnisation with young people, a Christian benignant of Woodstock, helium saluted the Lebanese who had not emigrated, and those who had returned. "Have hope, don't leave, your state needs you!"

Head of Vatican State Pope Leo XIV holds an open-air wide held astatine Waterfront Square aft helium visits the tract of the 2020 Beirut larboard detonation connected the last time of his Lebanon trip, and offers a infinitesimal of soundless supplication for those who mislaid their lives successful the catastrophe successful Lebanon, Beirut connected Dec. 2, 2025.  (Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Nada Merhi, a section Catholic Maronite unpaid who was lone 5 erstwhile the civilian warfare of 1975-1990 shattered her family's lives, spoke of her emotion for her state and however she would ne'er permission contempt the economical and governmental situation and the renewed unit pursuing the Iran-backed Lebanese militant Hezbollah’s onslaught connected Israel a fewer weeks aft Hamas’s massacre successful Israel connected Oct. 6, 2023.

"We request factual help, but supra each we conscionable privation peace. I anticipation the Pope volition not hide astir us."

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Andre Sassine, a small-business proprietor from Byblos, a coastal metropolis astir 20 miles northbound of Beirut, is optimistic. "Business volition beryllium bully if we conscionable person peace. The Muslims successful Lebanon are not the problem, don't judge the media, the occupation is with outer countries influencing and corrupting," helium said, adding that helium thought President Trump, whose girl Tiffany joined a Lebanese, could articulation forces with the pontiff.

"We Lebanese emotion America," helium said, "and we emotion this caller pope calved successful America. Please assistance america find peace."