By Isabella H. de Carvalho
In the Mount Lebanon region of Jbeil, perched on top of a hill at an altitude of 1200 meters, from where in the distance one can see the Mediterranean sea, is the Monastery of St Maron in Annaya, the resting place of St Charbel Makhlouf.
This Lebanese Maronite monk and hermit lived from 1828 to 1898 and led a life of extreme asceticism and devotion to God. Today, he is known for numerous miraculous healings attributed to his intercession, earning him the veneration of not only Christians and Catholics but also Muslims and people of other faiths.
Millions of people visit his resting place every year, and now for the first time, a Pope will as well. On the second leg of his apostolic journey that takes him to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV will pray at the tomb of St Charbel on Dec 1.
For Father Youssef Matta, one of 16 Maronite monks who live in the Monastery, the Pope’s visit “invokes healing from divisions and corruption, transforming the hope for physical healing from St Charbel, into hope for healing” for Lebanon as a nation, but also for the Middle East and the whole world and its various conflicts.
This saint, he continued, is “a symbol of solidarity and of strengthening of Lebanese interreligious coexistence” and the Pope’s visit is “a historic recognition of St Charbel’s role in the world and a powerful message of support and hope for a country in crisis.”
“The miracle worker for humanity”
Father Matta explained that there are two main reasons for St Charbel’s “interreligious charm”. The first is the numerous miraculous healings attributed to his intercession, which are “perceived as a divine intervention that makes no distinction between Christians and Muslims,” Father Matta emphasized.
“The concrete result is that grace transcends specific doctrine. He is the miracle worker for humanity, and he does not care so much about religion in the strict sense.”
In fact, miracles started occurring as early as a couple of months after his death in 1898, with several monks saying they saw his tomb illuminated by unnatural lights. Later, it was opened, and his body was found to be incorrupt and exuding blood and water. Slowly, his reputation for holiness started spreading, and then Paul VI both beatified and canonized him in 1965 and 1977, respectively.
A life lived in seclusion while being close to God
The second reason for his popularity is “his asceticism, his life as a hermit, in poverty, and with a total devotion to God,” Father Matta emphasized.
St Charbel joined the Lebanese Maronite Order in 1851, took his vows of obedience, poverty and chastity at the Monastery of St Maron in 1853 and was then ordained in 1859. After 16 years of living in the Monastery with the other religious, he became a hermit and stayed in the hermitage for 23 years until his death in 1898 on Christmas Eve.
Father Matta explained that St Charbel focused on prayer and work, which is “an ideal of spiritual purity revered in all Eastern religious traditions – Christian, Islamic, Druze – and even non-Eastern.”
St Charbel “transcends religious divisions” and “represents a rare point of contact and common hope for all Lebanese denominations,” Father Matta highlighted.
In fact, given the difficult context that Lebanon is facing due to successive crises and conflicts that have plagued the nation in the last decades, “St Charbel conveys hope, representing trust in help from above when earthly solutions fail,” he insisted.
“He is a rare symbol of coexistence and peace, demonstrating that spiritual strength can unite the different religions that politics divides.”
The Pope’s visit shows Lebanon has not been abandoned
The fact that Pope Leo XIV will now be the first Pope to visit the tomb of St Charbel is a source of “great joy and pride in Lebanon,” Father Matta underlined. His prayer at this saint’s resting place “transmits transcendent hope. It shows that Lebanon has not been abandoned, that there is a divine force that goes beyond politics and is capable of resolving crises.”
The visit “communicates spiritual unity,” he continued. “His Holiness’s prayer exalts St Charbel as a symbol of coexistence, as he is venerated by all faiths. It reinforces Lebanon’s role as a land of dialogue and peace among all religions.”
It is a “strong call to simple faith and a gesture of solidarity for the ethical and spiritual reconstruction of Lebanon,” Father Matta said. He explained how the visit to the tomb will shed light and bring attention to a “country in difficulty.”
The monks at the Monastery have been preparing to welcome the Pope. The visit will see the participation of various religious and political authorities and will feature, among other things, greetings between the participants, moments of communal and private prayer and an exchange of significant gifts.
The government has also declared that in Lebanon, Dec 1 and 2 will be public holidays in order to allow people to participate in the papal events.
The Pope’s visit will restore dignity and hope
For Father Matta, the Pope’s visit in general will be “a spiritual and moral catalyst whose purpose is to restore dignity and hope to the people.” “The Pope brings comfort to an exhausted people, invoking moral healing and a miracle for the nation, symbol of closeness to the Lebanese population,” he said.
He believes that on a national level, the journey will strengthen “Lebanon’s role as a land of dialogue between Christians and Muslims and a message of peace for the region and for all the places where there is war.”
Internationally, instead, it will put a spotlight on the nation, “reigniting international attention on the crisis-stricken country” and “urging the global community not to forget it and encouraging internal stability, not only in Lebanon but throughout the Middle East.”
While at the local Church level, Father Matta emphasized that the Pope’s journey is an “encouragement to the Lebanese church, not only Maronite Catholic, but to all Eastern churches and the Christian community, especially in the face of emigration.”
“It will reaffirm the historical importance of these communities in the Middle East, because there are so many young Lebanese who are leaving the country to seek work elsewhere in order to survive,” he insisted.
The legacy of a large family of Lebanese saints
St Charbel Makhlouf is also part of a large family of Lebanese saints that include for example St Maron, founder of the Maronite Church; St Rafka, a nun known for her resilience in the face of sickness; Blessed Jacques Ghazir Haddad, a Capuchin friar who founded various schools and hospitals that are still active today; or the Maronite Patriarch Estephan El Douaihy, who was beatified just last year in Aug 2024.
The Pope’s visit to St Charbel’s tomb will also highlight this heritage of the Lebanese Church. For Father Matta, the legacy of these saints “offers strength in suffering” as it is “a testimony that contemplative prayer and faith endure even in contexts of great instability and pain.”
He also said it shows the richness of the Eastern Churches and their loyalty to Rome, as “they can serve as a bridge between East and West.” Like St Charbel’s example, the lives of these saints and blesseds demonstrate “how holiness, especially through miracles, can be a factor of unity that transcends confessional divisions and invites us to stay attached to our territory.”
“This network of saints is a warning, a lifeline for Lebanon in its current crisis. A resilient identity, sainthood is proof that Lebanon’s true strength lies in its spiritual roots, not in politics or economics,” Father Matta concluded.
“Their moral example, their lives of poverty and righteousness, is a powerful reminder against the corruption that has torn the nation and the country apart. We count on these saints.” – Vatican News
