Pope Leo XIV sends message of support to southern Lebanon as he ends 1st foreign trip

BEIRUT (AP) — Pope Leo XIV prayed Tuesday at the site of a deadly 2020 Beirut port explosion that has become a symbol of dysfunction and official impunity and called for justice to prevail, as he offered words of consolation to Lebanon’s people — including in the war-battered south — on the final day of his first overseas trip.

Relatives of some of the 218 people killed by the blast held up photos of their loved ones as Leo arrived at the scorched site. They stood side by side as Leo prayed silently first at a monument to the dead, then greeted each one, grasping their hands.

The emotional encounter took place next to the shell of the last grain silo standing at the site destroyed by the Aug. 4, 2020, blast and the piles of burned cars torched in its wake. The explosion did billions of dollars in damage as hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a port warehouse.

Five years on, the families of those killed are still seeking justice. No official has been convicted in a judicial investigation that has been repeatedly obstructed, angering Lebanese for whom the blast was just the latest evidence of impunity after decades of corruption and financial crimes.

“The visit clearly sends the message that the explosion was a crime," said Cecile Roukoz, whose brother, Joseph Roukoz, was killed and who was on hand to meet the pope. "There should be a message, the country should end impunity and ensure justice is served.”

When he arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, Leo urged the country's political leaders to pursue the truth as a means of peace and reconciliation. In a homily Sunday after praying at the site, Leo referred explicitly to the blast and called for Lebanon to be a place of justice.

An estimated 150,000 worshippers packed the Beirut waterfront for Leo's final Mass, which he celebrated immediately after praying at the nearby blast site.

In his homily, Leo named the many problems the Lebanese people have faced, from economic crises to the blast and renewed fears of war. He said it’s natural to feel “paralyzed by powerlessness in the face of evil and oppressed by so many difficult situations.”

But he urged them not to be resigned, and to find ways to remain hopeful and grateful. He insisted, though, that justice was part of the equation.

“Let us cast off the armor of our ethnic and political divisions, open our religious confessions to mutual encounter and reawaken in our hearts the dream of a united Lebanon,” he said. “A Lebanon where peace and justice reign, where all recognize each other as brothers and sisters.”

“Lebanon, stand up! Be a home of justice and fraternity! Be a prophetic sign of peace for the whole of the Levant!”

The American pope opened his final day in Lebanon with an emotional visit to the De La Croix hospital, which specializes in care for people with psychological problems. Awaiting him were some familiar-looking faces: young boys dressed up as Swiss Guards and cardinals, and even one dressed as the pope himself in all white.

The mother superior of the congregation that runs the hospital, Mother Marie Makhlouf, was overcome as she welcomed the pope, telling him that her hospital cares for the “forgotten souls, burdened by their loneliness.”

Leo said the facility stands as a reminder to all of humanity. “We cannot forget those who are most fragile. We cannot conceive of a society that races ahead at full speed clinging to the false myths of well-being, while at the same time ignoring so many situations of poverty and vulnerability,” he said.

“For Lebanon, (the visit) means a lot," said pilgrim Maggie Claudine, who was waiting for Leo at the hospital. "We hope that peace will prevail, and that is what we wish for. We want to live in comfort.”

Leo has sought to bring a message of peace to Lebanon as it copes with the economic crises, the aftermath of last year's devastating war between Hezbollah and Israel and the fallout from the port blast.

Among those on hand to welcome Leo at the blast site was Lebanon Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed, whose mother was killed. Another was Mireille Khoury, whose 15-year-old son, Elias, was killed.

When Leo approached her, Khoury pointed to the building where they lived across the port, where Elias died as he was hanging out in his room.

Khoury said Lebanon cannot heal from its wounds without justice and accountability. She has been among the relatives who have called for finalizing the stalled investigation that implicated a long list of political, security and judicial officials. The probe has been obstructed by officials who have largely refused to cooperate.

“Justice is the basis of building any country,” she told The Associated Press in an interview before the pope arrived in Lebanon. “Our children were killed in their homes. They were killed because someone kept (ammonium) nitrate in the main port of the city near a residential area.”

Khoury said the pope’s prayer and support would bring some relief, but said she would not give up on her pursuit for justice.

“I will not say that this anger will fully just disappear,” Khoury said. “But I think it will give some sort of relaxation of this anger that is in my heart until justice is served.”

The fate of the port’s massive grain silos, which absorbed much of the shock of the explosion, has also been a matter of debate.

The Lebanese government at one point planned to demolish the damaged silos but decided against it after families of the blast’s victims and survivors, who want them preserved, protested.

The port, meanwhile, is largely functional again but still hasn't been fully rebuilt.

Pope Leo XIV referenced the ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon in his farewell speech at the Beirut airport and sent a message of support to people of the south.

Christians in the south had been disappointed that his trip did not include a visit to their areas, which were battered by last year’s war between Israel and Hezbollah and are still the target of regular airstrikes that Israel says aim to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding.

“I greet all the regions of Lebanon that I was unable to visit: Tripoli and the north, the Beqaa and the south of the country, which is currently experiencing a state of conflict and uncertainty,” Leo said. He also referred to the cities of Sidon and Tyre, which are mentioned in the New Testament, as “biblical places.”

“May the attacks and hostilities cease,” he said. “We must recognize that armed struggle brings no benefit. While weapons are lethal, negotiation, mediation and dialogue are constructive.”

Soon after the pope’s plane departed, an Israeli drone appeared in the sky over Beirut.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Leo to keep Lebanon in his prayers.

The Lebanese are “a faithful people who deserve life,” he said. “As we bid you farewell, we do not only part with an honored guest, but with a father who brought us comfort, and reminded us that the world has not forgotten Lebanon.”

Mroue reported from Jal el-Dib, Lebanon. Associated Press journalists Fadi Tawil and Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope Leo XIV waves as he boards a flight back to the Vatican after his visit to Lebanon at Beirut International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Pope Leo XIV holds a moment of prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Rose petals are scattered to Pope Leo XIV as he leaves after visiting the Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross in the town of Jal el-Dib, north of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Rose petals are scattered to Pope Leo XIV as he leaves after visiting the Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross in the town of Jal el-Dib, north of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Relatives of victims of the 2020 Beirut port explosion wait for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV at the site off the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Fadi Tawil)

Relatives of victims of the 2020 Beirut port explosion wait for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV at the site of the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Pope Leo XIV prays at a memorial for the victims of the 2020 Beirut port explosion at the site off the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Fadi Tawil)

People wait for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV to visit the De la Croix hospital in Jal el Dib, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

A rainbow rises behind the port and a billboard featuring Pope Leo XIV in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Pope Leo XIV greets the crowd as he arrives surrounded by security for a meeting with youths in Bkerki, the seat of the Maronite Church, in Lebanon, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Pope Leo XIV sits onstage during a meeting with youths in Bkerki, the seat of the Maronite Church, in Lebanon, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Pope Leo XIV greets the crowd as he arrives surrounded by security for a meeting with youths in Bkerki, the seat of the Maronite Church, in Lebanon, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Pope Leo XIV arrives for a meeting with young people in the Square in front of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch in Bkerki, Lebanon, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Pope Leo XIV arrives for a meeting with young people in the Square in front of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch in Bkerke, Lebanon, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

CHICAGO (AP) — A potential replay challenge by the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday was denied because first-year manager Kurt Suzuki waited too long to make the appeal.

The play occurred with the Chicago Cubs batting in the third inning of the Angels' 6-2 loss in the series finale at a chilly Wrigley Field. Nico Hoerner doubled into the gap in left-center, and Miguel Amaya used a headfirst slide to score the first run of the game.

Shortstop Zach Neto's throw beat Amaya to the plate. It was unclear if Amaya's left hand touched home, and if it got in there ahead of catcher Travis d'Arnaud's tag. Umpire David Rackley ruled Amaya was safe.

Suzuki held up his hand in the direction of the field before deciding to challenge. But the umpires did not initiate a replay review because they said Suzuki took too long to make his decision.

According to Major League Baseball's replay regulations, once a manager notifies an umpire that a club is considering a challenge, the umpire “will hold play until the earlier of the expiration of the 15-Second Determination Timer ... or an indication from the Manager that the Club is not going to challenge the play.”

“When a close play happens like that, the manager is required to immediately hold, to signal to start the clock, which is 15 seconds,” crew chief Chris Guccione told a pool reporter. “So once I see a manager hold by raising his hand, I'll radio up to the press box, to the tech up there, who then starts the clock. So then from that point they've got 15 seconds to either wave it off, challenge, whatever they need to do.”

The 15 seconds is displayed on the pitch clock, and umpires wear a communication device that buzzes when the clock strikes zero.

“There's zeros and the buzz, and then Kurt came up just a little late,” Guccione said.

Suzuki said bench coach John Gibbons, who is the conduit between the manager and Angels staffers looking at the replay, said the timing of the challenge decision was close.

“He said it was a judgment thing,” Suzuki said. “He said it was like zero-bam and then I challenged, so it was like right after. If we’re late, we’re late. Can’t really argue that. Even if it’s a half-second, a second, you can’t argue that. If you’re late, you’re late.”

The Cubs went on to score four more runs in the third, including two with two outs in the inning.

The Angels challenged a successful steal by Hoerner in the sixth, but the call was upheld.

The time limit for deciding whether to request a replay challenge was lowered from 20 to 15 seconds when the pitch clock was instituted as part of a package of rules changes ahead of the 2023 season.

The 42-year-old Suzuki took over as the team's manager in October. He spent the previous three seasons as a special assistant to Angels general manager Perry Minasian.

Suzuki was a major league catcher for five teams over 16 seasons, winning a World Series with Washington in 2019. He had no major league coaching experience when he was hired as manager.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, left, attempts to challenge a play with an umpire during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, left, attempts to challenge a play with an umpire during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)