Message from Hezbollah to His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, before his visit to Lebanon.

Source: Telegram, November 28, 2025

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV, Most Esteemed.

Greetings and peace be upon you.

At the outset, we express our full welcome and high appreciation for your esteemed position, and for the visit you have dedicated to Lebanon; this beautiful country blessed by God with its geographical location and organized sectarian diversity, within a framework of unified coexistence and general consensus that are essential characteristics for the stability of its political system and national security.

Your predecessor, Pope John Paul II, previously considered Lebanon “not merely a country, but a message”… The reality proves that Lebanon, with its diverse composition, represents a civilizational link between the followers of the two divine messages, Christianity and Islam, and between followers of religious, cultural, and secular orientations in all countries and continents of the world.

When the human being is the focus of concern for all religions, and even secular ideological orientations, one can be hopeful and optimistic about the possibility of achieving permanent peace and security.

As we read in your guidance and messages a firm commitment to human rights and the necessity of respecting and protecting them, those rights transcend the individual aspect to a broader sphere, which is the sphere of peoples.

Regarding the conflicts the world witnesses today, the deeper cause is some parties’ disavowal of any commitment or recognition of the rights of others, whether due to differences in religion, color, race, language, or interests.

It is no secret that the erosion of respect for human rights among some parties—whether leaders, groups, parties, sects, states, or organizations—nourishes and feeds tendencies of greed, domination, oppression, and resorting to force instead of appealing to justice.

The tragedy witnessed in Gaza in occupied Palestine over the past two years, and continuing still, is a tragedy resulting from the Zionist occupiers’ persistence in usurping the rights of the Palestinian people to their land, homeland, and self-determination, and from the international system’s denial of adopting the standard of justice and rights to find a solution to the ongoing conflict in our region between the owner of the land and homeland and the occupying usurper.

Likewise, the suffering experienced by the Lebanese people due to the Zionist occupation of parts of their land and the continuation of attacks against them, threatening their security and stability in their country—driven by greed for their water, land, and gas wealth, and attempting to impose submission and subjugation of the Lebanese to its boundless security, expansionist, and political conditions.

Without doubt, the Zionist occupation enjoys—very regrettably—unlimited support from major powers that share its tendency toward domination and greed for the interests of our country and region, without any regard for the rights of our people and the peoples of the region.

What the Israeli enemy has perpetrated in Gaza against the Palestinian people is a described crime of genocide; and what it is doing in Lebanon is ongoing, rejected, and condemned aggression.

We in Hezbollah seize the opportunity of your blessed visit to our country Lebanon to affirm, on our part, our commitment to unified coexistence, consensual democracy, maintaining internal security and stability, and our keenness on national sovereignty and its protection, by standing with our army and people to confront any aggression or occupation of our land and country.

We also commit to our legitimate right to reject foreign interference that seeks to impose guardianship over our country and people, and to confiscate its national decision and the powers of its constitutional authorities.

If our faith affirms that the followers of Jesus Christ, son of Mary, are messengers of love, preservation of rights, and respect for humanity, then we count on Your Holiness’s positions in rejecting the injustice and aggression to which our homeland Lebanon is subjected at the hands of the Zionist invaders and their supporters.

This is what we entrust to you during this visit, in which you express to all Lebanese your care, love, and cooperation, and in which we wish Your Holiness comfort and safety; praying to Almighty God to grant the oppressed in the world justice, security, and relief.

With best wishes.

Islamic Resistance in Lebanon

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