As you know, Pope Leo returned to Rome yesterday afternoon after an amazing, six-day, jam-packed trip to Turkiye and Lebanon. He went directly to Castelgandolfo and is due to come back to the Vatican this evening. The Vatican announced yesterday that, when Leo XIV leaves the Villa Barberini property in Castelgandolfo tonight, he will not be speaking to journalists as he has recently done. His next announced public event is a Jubilee Audience on Saturday, December 6.
A CHERISHED LEBANON MEMORY – OUR LADY OF HARISSA
I have some very extraordinary memories of my various visits to Lebanon over the years, and so wanted to write about a few of them in conjunction with Pope Leo’s time in the Land of Cedars. However, I was without internet/wifi for just over two days and only now that it has been repaired, am I catching up on things. The good news is that I was able to post papal trip news and videos on X and on my Facebook page thanks to my cell phone. Today I accompany you to one of my favorite Marian shrines in the world and one of my favorite stops when in Lebanon – Our Lady of Harissa.
I was in Lebanon twice in 2010 and again in September 2012 for Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to present the Apostolic Exhortation that was the concluding document of the special 2010 synod of bishops for the Middle East. What I learned on those visits – and experienced at Harissa – is that Muslims, in case you were not aware, have a very great devotion to Mary as the Mother of Jesus who, for Muslims, is a prophet. I first saw an act of Muslim devotion to Mary when I was a member of the Holy See delegation to the September 1995 U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing. Some members of the Iranian delegation brought a beautiful poster of Mary to then-Abp. Renato Martino, adjunct head of delegation, on Our Lady’s September 8th birthday. A lovely gesture that delighted our entire delegation.
I took the following photos at the apostolic nunciature when Abp. Gabriele Caccia was the nuncio in Lebanon. This is where Pope Leo stayed on his trip. Abp. Caccia is now head of the Holy See’s mission to the United Nations in New York and is a dear friend. At one point, we went out into the garden and, as you can see (barely) in the photos, it overlooks Our Lady of Harissa! A wonderful friend of mine, Brid, is in another photo. Over my right shoulder in the photo with Brid is the roof of the new basilica where Pope Leo met with various members of Lebanon’s Christian community and heard their testimonies of working in prisons, under bombs, and in the country’s notorious kafala system.
Our Lady of Harissa, just outside of Beirut, is a very popular destination for Muslims who, like their Christian counterparts, have a special place in their hearts for this particular shrine. I was able to visit the shrine, nestled among pine forests overlooking the Bay of Jounieh, on both my 2010 and 2012 trips to Lebanon and I took many photos of the shrine and adjacent area.
The white bronze statue of Our Lady of Lebanon, also known as Our Lady of Harissa, fused in Lyon, France is 8.5 meters (28 feet) tall and weighs approximately 15 tons. The hand-hewn stone pedestal tower, conical in shape, is 21 meters (68 feet) high, and its spiral staircase is climbed by pilgrims in prayer, often barefoot or on their knees, up to the statue of the Virgin at the top. Entrusted to the care of the Congregation of Lebanese Missionaries, it is among the most important Marian shrines in the Middle East. (from the cabasario, the booklet prepared for journalists on a papal trip)
Since July 1993, a new basilica has stood alongside the pedestal tower of the Sanctuary. Its bold geometry is intended to represent the prow of a Phoenician ship. It houses a copy of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, blessed by John Paul II on March 22, 1992, during the Mass for the sick in the Vatican Basilica, and brought to Lebanon by the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi. (cabasario)
Views from the top:
Here’s the wonderful experience I had climbing to the top of the statue: As I was trying to take one photo, bending backward over the railing that circled up and around the stairway to the statue, this young man asked if I needed help. I learned he was sure I was about to fall over the railing and wanted to help! He took the photo for me and the three of us spoke for a few minutes. He said his name was Fadi and he introduced his mother, mentioning that they were Lebanese Muslims devoted to Mary. He told the story that his mother, after years of trying without success to have a child, made a journey to Our Lady of Harissa, did some serious praying and found out not long afterward that she was pregnant!
Fadi and his mother visit this shrine every year on his birthday! I hope they are well, happy and thriving!
Other photos at the shrine –
Where are they today? Are they OK?
This is a closer look at the nearby St. Paul’s Basilica (seen in a photo I took from the top of the shrine), a Greek-Melkite Catholic church known for its striking Byzantine-inspired architecture, including its golden dome and intricate mosaics. Founded by the Missionaries of St. Paul in 1903 it serves as a center for prayer, Christian unity, and dialogue between Christians and Muslims, and is also a popular tourist destination with a seminary and a library.
Joan's Rome 