In a moving conclusion to his first apostolic journey abroad, which included stops in Turkey and Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV began his third and final day in Beirut on Tuesday with a visit to the Hospital of the Cross in Jal Ed Dib. This center, one of the largest in the Middle East for people with mental disabilities, became the setting for a profound message of compassion and solidarity. Founded in 1919 by Blessed Father Jacques Haddad—known as Father Yaacoub, a tireless apostle of charity—the hospital was transformed in 1951 into a refuge for the most vulnerable, and today it cares for hundreds of patients across its five large wards.

The Pope’s arrival was met with a mixture of emotion and affection by patients, doctors, Franciscan Sisters of the Cross, and healthcare workers. Crowds lined the streets to greet him, a gesture that underscores the impact of his presence in a nation marked by conflict, poverty, and vulnerability. Leo XIV, visibly moved, expressed his joy at being there: “I wanted to come because Jesus dwells in this place: in you who are sick, and in you who care for the sick—the sisters, the doctors, all the healthcare workers and staff.” He assured everyone that they were in his prayers and thanked them for the hymn of hope performed by a local choir, a detail that symbolized the spirit of the visit.

The Pope dedicated special words to the legacy of Blessed Father Jacques, recalling his holiness manifested in his love for the poor and suffering. “He is remembered for the holiness of life he showed especially through his love for the poorest and those who suffer,” he affirmed. The Franciscan Sisters of the Cross, who continue his work with dedication and joy, were praised as a “tangible sign of Christ’s merciful love.” Leo XIV compared them to the Good Samaritan of the Gospel, who stops to help the wounded man to lift him up and heal him, and acknowledged the challenges they face: weariness, discouragement, and adverse conditions in such an unstable regional context.

“Sometimes fatigue or discouragement can set in, especially because of the not always favorable conditions in which you work. I encourage you not to lose the joy of this mission and, despite some difficulties, I invite you to always keep in mind the good you can do. It is a great work in the eyes of God,” the Holy Father exhorted. Among the gifts received, he highlighted an image of the founder, which symbolizes the continuity of this humanitarian mission in a hospital that, since its conversion in 1937 from a psychiatric center to a home for the mentally disabled, has been a beacon of hope.

But Leo XIV’s message transcended the hospital walls. Addressing Lebanese society and the entire world, the Pope issued an urgent appeal not to ignore the most vulnerable. “We cannot forget the most vulnerable. We cannot advance as a society by clinging to false myths of well-being while ignoring the reality of poverty and fragility,” he warned. In particular, he urged Christians—as the Church of Jesus—to care for the poor, recalling that “the Gospel itself asks this of us, and the cry of the poor, which also runs through Scripture, challenges us.” He quoted his own apostolic exhortation *Dilexi te* (9): “In the wounded faces of the poor we find imprinted the suffering of the innocent and, therefore, the very suffering of Christ.”

The emotional climax came with his direct greeting to the sick: “God holds you in the palm of his hand; he accompanies you with love and offers you his tenderness through the hands and smiles of those who care for you.” With a voice filled with affection, he concluded: “I love you, you are my child! Never forget that!” The visit, which lasted about an hour, included moments of blessing and prayer, leaving an echo of hope in a Lebanon struggling to rebuild itself after years of crisis.