A Triply Divided Lebanon Anxiously Awaits a New Pope

16,000 teens attend Mass together to conclude NCYC

Priests process into Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 22, 2025, for the concluding Mass in Lucas Oil Stadium at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNA Indianapolis, Indiana, Nov 24, 2025 / 10:35 am (CNA). The 2025 National Catholic Youth Conferences (NCYC) concluded with a nighttime Mass drawing around 16,000 teenagers.After three days of prayer, community, sacraments, and a conversation with Pope Leo XIV,…

A Triply Divided Lebanon Anxiously Awaits a New Pope

Alberto M. Fernandez A memorial plaque at the shrine of Our Lady of Ilige in Mayfouk commemorates Maronite Patriarch Gebrael Hjoula, burned alive by the Mamluks in 1367. His martyrdom is part of the long, complex history of Lebanon’s Christians, a history Pope Leo XIV will engage with during his upcoming visit to a country facing renewed tension and uncertainty. ANALYSIS: Despite a Christian legacy that goes back 1,000 years, Lebanon, awaiting P…