Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lebanon on Sunday with a message of peace for the crisis-hit nation, still reeling from a war between Israel and Hezbollah and the conflict's lingering aftereffects.

The pope had previously visited Turkey, where he kicked off his first overseas tour since being elected leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics in May.

He told journalists on the plane that the visit to the two countries had "a special theme of... being a messenger of peace, of wanting to promote peace throughout the region".

Leo was met in Beirut by officials including President Joseph Aoun, the Arab world's only Christian head of state.

Lebanon rolled out the red carpet and a 21-gun salute for Leo, who was also greeted at the airport by children and a brass band as ships at the port sounded th

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