Thousands of people converged on Beirut’s waterfront as Pope Benedict XVI prepared to celebrate Sunday mass on the final day of his visit to Lebanon, in which he has repeatedly called for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.
Benedict, 85, arrived a half hour before the service, and his passage was briefly brought to a halt as jubilant crowds pressed in around the popemobile, cheering and waving Vatican and Lebanese flags.
Initial estimates put attendance at tens of thousands of people, who had gathered in bright, warm sunshine.
An excited Mariana Khoury, 15, wearing a headscarf inscribed in Arabic with the words “you promised and you came”, said: “We want to promise to him that we will be the future of the Church and guard our love for Jesus.”
The backdrop to the raised platform on which the altar is set is in the shape of the country’s Cedar of Lebanon, and live cedars and olive trees, the symbol of peace, were placed around the platform.
The frail-looking pope, who has been walking with a cane, arrived in Lebanon on Friday to a warm welcome from all parts of the country’s multi-faith society and has dedicated his visit to the message of peace.