Pope Leo XIV received a raucous, cheering welcome from priests and nuns at the seat of the Maronite church in Lebanon on Monday.

Women in the crowd ululated and others shouted, “Viva il Papa,” meaning “Long live the pope,” as Leo arrived at the Our Lady of Lebanon Basilica in Harissa, a town north of Beirut.

They reached out to touch him and kissed his hand while he made his way to the front of the sanctuary.

Pope Leo XIV urged Lebanon’s priests and nuns to offer hope and love to their flocks in the face of injustices, oppression and conflict.

The American pope heard testimonies from Lebanese priests about the difficulties and joys of being Christian in a region torn by conflict, “when surrounded by the sound of weapons and when the very necessities of daily life become a challenge.”

He was interrupted by applause as he urged them to find hope and share love.

“Only in this way can we free ourselves of injustice and oppression, even when, as we have heard, we are betrayed by people and organizations that ruthlessly exploit the desperation of those who have no alternative,” Leo said, speaking in French.

Leo arrived in Beirut on Sunday after a visit to Turkey that began on Nov. 27.

He challenged Lebanon’s political leaders to be true peacemakers and put their differences aside as he sought to give Lebanon’s long-suffering people a message of hope and bolster a crucial Christian community in the Middle East.

AP Video by Trisha Thomas