Pope Leo XIV comforts 13 priests from southern Lebanon with a surprise video call from Rome
The pope told the priests he was praying for them as violence and tension continue along the border, where a convent was demolished days earlier.
- On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV surprised 13 parish priests from southern Lebanon villages with a video call from Rome, offering prayers and his apostolic blessing to support communities facing border conflict.
- Tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border remain high following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, with Christian villages facing persistent insecurity and infrastructure destruction.
- Archbishop Paolo Borgia facilitated the connection from the Apostolic Palace, linking the pontiff with clergy from Rmeich and Debel who described the exchange as bringing "a breath of hope and trust that was much needed."
- The gesture reinforces Vatican focus on the region where Christians comprise about a third of Lebanon's 5 million people, boosting morale for priests ministering amid bombardment and displacement.
- Despite the April 17 ceasefire, sporadic attacks persist in southern Lebanon, while the pontiff's December 2025 visit underscores sustained Vatican commitment to advocating for civilian and religious site protection.
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77 Articles
Shortly after he took office, Pope Leo wanted to change his contact details at his bank – but the customer hotline apparently made it all but easy for him.
Even the head of the Catholic Church has had problems with customer service. Shortly after taking office last year, Pope Leo XIV, whose real name is Robert Francis Prevost, tried to remotely change his phone number and address at his American bank. Although he answered the security questions correctly, the customer service representative insisted on a personal visit to the branch. When he told her it was the Pope, she hung up.
By calling his American bank to change his coordinates, the sovereign pontiff would have been taken for a joke by a customer service employee, who finally hung up on him. An anecdote told...
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