Pope Leo XIV is visiting holy sites in Lebanon on Monday as he seeks to recognize the importance of the country's religious pluralism and also send a message to Christians not to abandon the region.

The pope’s visit is a sign of hope,” Rev. Miled Abboud told NBC News. “There are a lot of bleak things, of things that make us despair, but we have Christ who gives us strength to carry on.”

Pope Leo XIV is on his first visit to Lebanon. He arrives at a pivotal time for the country, buffeted by conflict with Israel and a devastating economic crisis.

Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his first foreign trip Tuesday at the site of a deadly 2020 Beirut port explosion that has become a symbol of dysfunction and official impunity.

In a country battered by economic collapse and recurring conflict, Pope Leo XIV visisted with those Lebanon often hides from view: patients battling trauma, addiction and disability at the Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross.

The first U.S. pope, Leo will pray at the site of a 2020 chemical explosion at the Beirut port and lead a Catholic Mass on the city's waterfront expected to draw 100,000 people before leaving for Rome with his entourage at about 1:15 pm (1115 GMT).

Pope Leo XIV has shared his thoughts during the conclave that elected him, saying he resigned himself to the inevitable and put the rest in God’s hands.