ANNAYA – Pope Leo XIV prayed Monday at the tomb of a Lebanese saint revered among Christians and Muslims as he opened his first full day in Lebanon with a message of peace and religious coexistence in a region torn by conflict.

As bells rang out, thousands of enthusiastic Lebanese braved a morning of steady rain to line Leo’s motorcade route heading into Annaya, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Beirut. Some waved Lebanese and Vatican flags and tossed flower petals and rice on his covered popemobile in a gesture of welcome as it zoomed by.

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