Lebanon: Pope Leo XIV delivered a profound message of compassion and moral urgency during a visit to De La Croix Hospital in Jal el Dib, reminding Lebanon that true social renewal begins by placing the sick and the vulnerable at the very centre of national life. The Tuesday morning stop one of the final events of his Apostolic Journey to Lebanon brought the Holy Father face-to-face with patients, medical staff, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross who run the century-old institution.
Standing before caregivers and those under their care, Pope Leo said he had come “to where Jesus dwells,” affirming that Christ is present both in the suffering and in those who tend to them. He praised the legacy of the hospital’s founder, Blessed Yaaqub El-Haddad, calling him a “tireless apostle of charity” whose life shaped a tradition of mercy that continues to define the institution more than a hundred years after its founding.
Addressing doctors, nurses, and staff, the Pope compared their work to the biblical Good Samaritan, urging them not to grow weary despite the fatigue and emotional weight that accompany their vocation. “Your hands and hearts reveal the merciful love of Christ,” he told them. “When discouragement comes, remember the good you accomplish. In God’s eyes, it is a great work.”
In a broader appeal to the nation, still deeply wounded by economic crisis and social fragmentation, Pope Leo warned against a culture driven solely by success and comfort. A society that accelerates forward without looking at its weakest members, he said, loses its moral compass. “We cannot conceive of a community racing at full speed while so many remain abandoned in conditions of poverty and vulnerability,” he remarked. The Christian mission, he insisted, demands that the poor be placed first not as an obligation, but as a living response to God’s enduring call echoed throughout Scripture.
The visit also highlighted the historic role of De La Croix Hospital within the region. Founded in 1919 in Jal el Dib an area that evolved from an Ottoman-era roadside stop into a bustling commercial centre during the French Mandate the hospital has grown into one of Lebanon’s leading providers of psychiatric and mental disability care. Today, it houses five patient pavilions and supports over 2,200 people annually under the stewardship of the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross.
Turning tenderly to the patients before him, Pope Leo spoke words of consolation and dignity. “You are close to the heart of God our Father. He holds you in the palm of his hand,” he said, visibly emotional at moments. “Today, the Lord repeats to each of you: ‘I love you, I care for you, you are my child. Never forget this.’”
Following the public gathering, the Pope was scheduled to visit one of the hospital’s pavilions privately, offering personal greetings to patients and listening to the experiences of staff who dedicate their lives to healing Lebanon’s most fragile brothers and sisters.