STORY: A drumming performance and torrential rain greeted Pope Leo when he arrived in Lebanon on Sunday.
He landed in Beirut following a four-day visit to Turkey, part of a closely-watched first trip abroad for the Catholic leader.
Leo met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and stressed the need to persevere with peace efforts.
"For here, peace is a desire and a vocation."
Lebanon, which has the largest share of Christians in the Middle East, has been rocked by the spillover of the Gaza conflict.
"Your resilience is an essential characteristic of authentic peacemakers."
Israel and the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim militant group Hezbollah went to war, culminating in a devastating Israeli offensive.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Friday that he hoped Leo's visit would help bring an end to Israeli attacks.
Hezbollah's most senior member of parliament Mohammad Raad attended Leo's speech.
The seventy-year-old pontiff has a crowded itinerary in Lebanon, visiting five cities and towns before he returns to Rome on Tuesday.
Leo will not travel to the south, the target of Israeli strikes, and he did not mention Israel in his speech.
