Pope Leo XIV prayed for peace in Lebanon and the region on Monday on day two of his trip to the multi-confessional country, with joyful Lebanese welcoming the pontiff at two famous pilgrimage sites.

Thousands of people cheered, ululated and threw rice in celebration as the pope travelled in the popemobile to a monastery in Annaya in the mountains north of Beirut which hosts the tomb of Saint Charbel, AFP photographers said.

Pope Leo arrived from Turkey on Sunday on his inaugural visit abroad as pontiff and brought a message of hope, particularly to young people in Lebanon whose faith in their crisis-hit country has dwindled.

"For the world, we ask for peace. We especially implore it for Lebanon and for the entire Levant," the pope said from deep inside the candle-lit stone monastery.

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