The use of blessed oil has long been an established practice in the Eastern Christian tradition and continues to this day.

Some saints leave behind books, letters, and sermons. Others leave behind silence. Saint Charbel Makhlouf of Lebanon belongs to the second kind. He wrote nothing, preached rarely, and withdrew from ...

Pope Leo XIV is on his first visit to Lebanon. He arrives at a pivotal time for the country, buffeted by conflict with Israel and a devastating... BEIRUT — Pope Leo XIV is in Lebanon on his first ...

Pope Leo XIV prays in silence before the tomb of St. Charbel Makhlouf at the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya, Lebanon, Dec. 1, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) In the Mount Lebanon region of Jbeil, ...

St. Charbel Makhlouf is depicted in a mosaic at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. In Lebanon on Dec. 1. 2025, Pope Leo XIV became the first pontiff to visit the final resting place of St.

Pope Leo XIV made a strong appeal for interreligious dialogue in Lebanon on Monday, praising the country as an example of the coexistence of different faiths. Lebanon, battered by war and crises, ...

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Beirut on Sunday after a visit to Turkey that began last week. He challenged Lebanon’s political leaders to be true peacemakers and put their differences aside as he sought to ...