In just one week, Lebanon walked a strange path: a step toward hope, and a step towards fear. As if the country were standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for a breeze that might guide it… or push it over. Between November 28 and December 3, 2025, the sound of mass blended with the echo of airstrikes, and the scene split between a visiting light from Rome and the shadow of a suspended war over the south.
The visit of Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon was the major event. His appearance in Beirut carried a breath of peace the country had long been yearning for. He walked among the people as though gathering the fatigue of years, and stood with religious and political leaders speaking of reconciliation and mercy, at a time when the nation needed reassurance even more than economic plans. His visit to the shrine of Saint Charbel, and the large mass on the Beirut waterfront, made Lebanese people feel—if only for a moment—that something greater than politics was still capable of uniting them. A spiritual message, yet with a firm tone: “Without peace… there is no future.”
But on the other side, the south was hearing a different kind of music. Israeli airstrikes did not stop, and the state of security alert remained unchanged. The aircraft hovering over villages, the people afraid to return to their homes, and the constant fear of sudden escalation—all reminded the Lebanese that the ceasefire was as fragile as glass. International politics showed no mercy, and regional tensions continued leaving their mark on the borders and on daily life.
Lebanese media stood on the line between these two realities: between images of the Pope kneeling in prayer, and images of smoke rising from southern towns. A stark contradiction, yet one that has become part of Lebanese life: drawing the hope of tomorrow with one hand, and bracing for danger with the other.
During this week, Lebanon wore two faces: one seeking heaven’s mercy, and one remembering that the earth beneath it is still uncertain. And yet, the country keeps going—simply because it has never learned how to stop.
