BEIRUT, Lebanon — Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Lebanese capital to witness Pope Leo’s message of unity to a shattered city and a fractured state.

America's first pope visits Lebanon during crisis, meeting Christian and Muslim leaders to encourage coexistence in the conflict-torn Middle East.

A Palestinian state is the only way to end the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people, Pope Leo XIV has said. The head of the Catholic Church told journalists on a flight to Lebanon that Israel does not accept a Palestinian state at the moment but a two-state framework would be the only way to justice.

Pope Leo XIV touched down in Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Sunday as he began a three-day visit to the nation at the heart of a Middle East battered by recent conflicts.

AP's Vatican Correspondent Nicole Winfield reports from Air Pope One while she and other journalists wait for the pope to board the flight to return to Rome.