Beirut, Lebanon

Church bells rang out and a 21-gun salute boomed as Pope John Paul II arrived Saturday, May 10th., 1997 in Beirut.This is the first visit to the Middle East by a Roman Catholic pontiff since 1964, and the first ever official papal visit to Lebanon since the Apostle St. Peter. He was met by Maronite Catholic Patriach Sfeir and the nation's leaders. The pope wore a scarf emblazoned with a cedar tree, Lebanon's national symbol. Pope John Paul II bent and kissed a container of earth from Lebanon that was presented to him, a practice he follows in each country he visits.
He conducted a mass in the modern Basilica