Pope Leo to honor Beirut blast victims with silent prayer at port

• Over 120,000 people are set to attend Pope Leo XIV’s mass in Beirut.
• He will hold a silent prayer at the site of the 2020 port explosion.
• Families of victims continue to demand justice as the investigation remains stalled.

Beirut is bracing for an enormous crowd on Tuesday as more than 120,000 people prepare to gather for Pope Leo XIV’s open-air mass, the closing event of his closely watched visit to Lebanon.

The ceremony will unfold near the city’s waterfront, offering the pontiff a solemn moment to honor victims of the catastrophic 2020 port explosion.

Pope Leo’s trip, his first official journey outside Turkey since assuming the papacy, has carried a steady current of encouragement for a nation wrestling with political paralysis, economic collapse, and the lingering trauma of last year’s war with 'Israel'. His arrival on Sunday injected a rare sense of collective uplift, especially among young Lebanese who have long felt abandoned by their leaders.

Many residents have been lining the streets in hopes of catching even a glimpse of him. Yasmine Chidiac, standing near a busy Beirut intersection on Monday, said the visit “has brought a smile back to our faces.”

Security agencies have been preparing for days. Large parts of central Beirut will go into lockdown from Monday night, with checkpoints and restricted zones surrounding the mass site. Alongside the major gathering, Pope Leo will make a deeply symbolic stop: a visit to a psychiatric hospital operated by nuns, followed by a quiet moment of reflection at the port.

At the explosion site, where more than 220 people lost their lives, he is expected to meet families who continue to fight for accountability. Despite multiple warnings sent to senior officials about the dangerous stockpile of ammonium nitrate, the official investigation remains paralyzed, stymied by political interference.

While addressing Christian and Muslim leaders on Monday, the pontiff urged them to stand together against hatred and bloodshed. His evening stop in Bkerke drew an electric reception from thousands of young people, where he urged them to build “a new future” and reminded them, “You have the enthusiasm to change the course of history.”