Patriarch John of Antioch, Pope Leo, and Muslim leaders plant olive tree as symbol of peace in Beirut
Patriarch John of Antioch, Pope Leo, and Muslim leaders plant olive tree as symbol of peace in Beirut
Beirut, December 3, 2025
Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr
Pope Leo XIV met with Christian and Muslim religious leaders from Lebanon and Syria on the second day of his visit to Beirut, participating in an interfaith gathering at Martyrs’ Square in the Lebanese capital.
His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch welcomed the Pontiff during the event, greeting him in Arabic and describing the visit as a joyous occasion. In his remarks, the Patriarch welcomed the Pope to “the Church of Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians. The Church of Antioch, in all its diverse communities, the first Church founded by the Apostle Peter.”
The Patriarch characterized Lebanon as a country “that breathes with both its Muslim and Christian lungs” and emphasized the shared existence of its communities, saying its components “do not merely coexist but complement, resemble, and ultimately meld into one another to shape Lebanon.”
In a symbolic gesture, Pope Leo XIV, Patriarch John, and an …