Pope Benedict XVI delivered an open-air Sunday Mass in Beirut to a crowd of more than 300,000 people that touched on the central theme of his trip: peace in the Middle East, namely Syria, and endurance for the region's Christian minorities.The pope spoke of human suffering in wartime, highlighting women and children as first victims, and the necessity of all leaders in the region to come together as "brothers" and for Christians to play a constructive role as peacemakers.
"May God grant to your country, to Syria and to the Middle East the gift of peaceful hearts, the silencing of weapons and the cessation of all violence," the pope said at the end of a mass before a huge crowd of worshipers waving small flags of Lebanon and Vatican.
The pope arrived in Lebanon Friday on a three-day visit, which ended Sunday night. It was Pope Benedict's first trip to Lebanon and coincided with widespread unrest across the Muslim world. Since last week, angry protestors have attacked a number of Western targets, from U.S. embassies to NATO bases and fast-food chains, many citing an inflammatory online movie made in the U.S. that ridiculed Prophet Muhammad.
While the pope didn't directly address the provocative video, called "Innocence of Muslims," or the violence, he repeatedly called for tolerance among religious sects and an end for the "grim trail of death and destruction" in the region.
The Christian community in the Middle East, despite its ancient origins, is dwindling in many countries due to fears of unrest, rise of Islamism and economic hardship. The Arab Spring has exacerbated these sentiments, with Islamist parties rising to power and a still-unclear picture of the future.
In Lebanon, Christians account for about a third of the population and enjoy equal power sharing in the government. The president of Lebanon, for example, always comes from the Maronite Christian sect.
Many Christians attending the service on Sunday said the pope's visit restored their confidence in the community and strengthened their standing. They said they continue to worry about Syria's unraveling next door and its ramifications on Lebanon's sectarian-driven politics.
"We are always asking ourselves what's our future here, what will happen to our children," said Rania Yammen, a 39-year-old interior designer, who attended mass with her husband and two small children from a mountain town several hours away. "This encourages me to stay and not migrate."
Many attendees of the Sunday Mass had traveled from all corners of Lebanon from early morning hours and walked several miles to reach the area. The event had a festive air, with colorful balloons being handed out, as well as free traditional Lebanese breakfast and bottles of water. Parents carried their children on their shoulders for a blessing, and many elderly couples walked slowly with their canes.
Rev. Federico Lombardi, a spokesman for the Vatican, said the crowd was estimated at around 350,000 people. Syrian Christian refugees taking shelter in villages in the Bekaa Valley were bused to the event through church organizers.
During the pope's meeting Saturday with thousands of Christian youth, the pontiff addressed the Syrians in the crowd and said he admired their courage and asked them to a pass a message to Christians inside Syria that the pope hasn't forgotten them.
"It's very important for the world to see that we are here, we exist and live together with the Muslims in the Arab world," said Najib Khoury, an 85-year-old retired oil worker, who sat on a curb in a side street to avoid the packed crowd but hear the pontiff in person.
The mass took place on Beirut's new waterfront area, a vast piece of land reclaimed after the civil war that has become a showcase of Lebanon's resilience and recovery after multiple wars with Israel and its own dark chapter of civil war.
The pope, wearing green vestments, sat on an altar with a backdrop of a giant stylized white Cedar tree, the symbol of Lebanon, which also appears on the nation's flag.
Officials and politicians from all of Lebanon's various sects, including the Shiite political and militant group Hezbollah, attended the mass to signal unity and support for the Vatican.