By Pierre A. Maroun

Pope Leo XIV’s historic visit to Lebanon—his first foreign trip as pontiff, from November 30 to December 2, 2025—was defined as much by his absence from Qana as by his presence elsewhere. The southern village, long revered in Christian tradition as the site of Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding feast (John 2:1–11), carries profound symbolic weight. For many Lebanese—Christians and Muslims alike—a papal stop there would have been a powerful gesture of hope and reconciliation in a land scarred by war and displacement.

Father Fadi el-Mir, a key planner, urged Vatican officials to include Qana or nearby Tyre, stressing that “the people there need his presence.” From the Shia south, voices echoed the same plea: diplomat Mohamad Safa spoke of a missed “blessing on the footsteps of Jesus Christ particularly in Qana, Tyre and Sidon,” while Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, Vice President of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council, called the visit “a message to our country which is still suffering from brutal aggression… especially [to] the Shia sect, which was most affected.” Sunni leaders, including Grand Mufti Abdel-Latif Derian, joined the chorus of welcome, hailing the Pope as a defender of Lebanon’s plural identity. Yet the Vatican refused, citing what organizers called the “impossible” security realities of the south.

Why This Visit Mattered

The stakes surrounding the trip were exceptionally high. Pope Leo XIV arrived at a moment of extraordinary fragility for Lebanon: still reeling from the 2024 border war, an economic collapse that erased the middle class, and an emigration wave that has reduced the Christian population to its lowest proportion in modern history while driving tens of thousands of Muslims abroad as well. State institutions remain paralyzed, the presidency is powerless…not vacant, and political trust at a historic low. Not since 2012 had a pontiff visited Lebanon, and the symbolic resonance of a papal pilgrimage in 2025—amid humanitarian strain and national exhaustion—was immense.

For Lebanon’s Christians, the visit signaled that the global Church had not forgotten a community increasingly fearful of marginalization. For Lebanon’s Muslims—Sunni, Shia, and Druze, it offered a rare moment of national unity anchored in a figure who transcends sectarian divides and who has repeatedly condemned the suffering in Gaza and the south. As President Aoun affirmed, Lebanon is ‘a land that unites faith and freedom, diversity and unity,’ warning that its unique coexistence between Christians and Muslims is essential to the region; if it collapses here, it cannot be replicated elsewhere.

Why Qana Was Not Possible

The omission of Qana went far beyond the devastation of the 2024 conflict. A visit to the south would have needed an extraordinarily complex security arrangement: Israel halting strikes, Hezbollah holding fire, the Lebanese Army securing routes, and international partners—such as France or the United States—guaranteeing broader stability. Because Lebanon and Israel have no diplomatic relations, such coordination would have had to run through UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping mission along the Blue Line. Vatican planners, after intensive assessments, concluded that no such guarantees could realistically be secured.

The Pope’s itinerary was therefore confined to safer sites: the Tomb of Saint Charbel in Annaya, the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, and a waterfront Mass in Beirut. Each location was chosen to maximize accessibility, safety, and interfaith outreach. Yet the absence of Qana left many in the south—where Shia families bore the heaviest losses—feeling overlooked, echoing Lebanon’s longstanding frustration with its “forgotten peripheries” in international diplomacy.

A Symbolic Absence with Real Consequences

In his addresses, Pope Leo acknowledged these wounds, urging Lebanese leaders to transcend sectarian paralysis and embody the spirit of the “peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). He also warned of the existential pressures facing Lebanon’s plural society, whose ancient mosaic is fraying under economic distress and mass emigration. In a subtle nod to Qana’s legacy, he invoked themes of miraculous renewal during his prayer at the Beirut Port explosion site—an appeal to all wounded corners of Lebanon, from the southern border villages to the capital’s shattered neighborhoods, to believe in transformation.

Qana’s omission is not a mere logistical footnote. It is a stark reminder that unresolved conflicts, contested airspace, and fragmented authority still constrain Lebanon’s ability to welcome even the world’s most powerful messenger of peace—regardless of the faith of those who yearn for his blessing. Peace begins not with symbols, but with the stability that makes them real for all who call Lebanon home.

* Strategic Analyst & President, Shields Of United Lebanon (SOUL)

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