Pope Leo XIV's visit to Lebanon is a "historic visit." That's what everyone says. But where does its historic character lie, when it is the fourth papal visit to Lebanon after those of Pope Paul VI (1964), Saint John Paul II (1997), and Benedict XVI (2012)? It is worth noting that Pope John XXIII visited us in the 1950s as a Cardinal, years before his election as Supreme Pontiff.

And the Lebanese, true to their nature, are "divided" in their assessment of this visit that ends today. Some say it was successful, while others say it could have been more successful.

Those who criticize the reception and preparations believe the hosts focused on form to the extent that the visit failed to address the core of Lebanon's suffering. They wanted Lebanese officials to accompany the Pope to the South, so he could witness firsthand the crimes committed against Southern citizens.

Those who criticize the visit do not direct their criticism at the Pope, but at what the Lebanese state did to prepare for his reception. Suddenly, funds were available to asphalt and light up roads, especially those to be used by the distinguished visitor. They say it would have been better for the Pope to see things in Lebanon as they truly are, to see how the Lebanese live and under what conditions. The Prime Minister revealed in a television interview on Sunday evening that the Pope asked him twice, at the Vatican and in Lebanon, about the living and economic conditions of the Lebanese and the solutions the government is working on.

Others, however, see the visit as successful by all measures, with well-considered timing, and content prepared with great care, evident in the official, political, and popular turnout and the full attendance of all invitees at every stage of the visit.

At the reception at the Presidential Palace, which gathered the official and political classes, the President of the Republic pinpointed the essence of the problems plaguing the region. He affirmed that the Lebanese will not abandon their country, that they have faced intense pressures in the past but have endured and are ready to endure further, especially knowing that the failure of the experiment of coexistence in Lebanon would mean its failure everywhere else in the world.

The Pope said that the entire world suffers from problems similar to Lebanon's; he highlighted what he called the Lebanese characteristic of rising from the calamities and hardships that befall them and continuing their national journey. He also emphasized another distinguishing trait of the Lebanese: their shared life together, a model to be emulated by all pluralistic societies in the world.

Those who see the visit as successful point to the scene uniting Lebanon's components in Martyrs' Square, affirming in their words the endurance of the values Lebanon embraces and the peace that unites humanity under the roof of moral values. Perhaps the most prominent point of consensus was what the Pope said about religion and war: he rejected the idea of war in the name of religion. No religion justifies war, and it is impermissible to use religion as a justification for war. This Levant, with Lebanon at its heart, suffers wars waged in the name of God, but God has nothing to do with it —a point emphasized by all attending religious officials.

Pope Leo XIV's visit is not folkloric nor a fleeting gesture to fulfill the wish of the late Pope Francis. It is the result of a deep belief that the future of humanity lies in finding harmony and accord in all these pluralistic societies, and the most prominent and successful laboratory and paradigm for this is Lebanon.

And so that the Pope's visit is not merely religious tourism, we call on the President of the Republic to transform the ideas and goals he spoke about in his address before the Supreme Pontiff into a roadmap, embodying this unifying scene materialized by the meeting in Martyrs' Square.

The Supreme Pontiff came to Lebanon to tell everyone that peace is coming, that you deserve peace, but you must work for it. You must be the peacemakers.