During what is fondly and nostalgically remembered as the golden age of Lebanon, Pope Paul VI made a brief but highly celebrated visit to Beirut.
On December 2nd, 1964, years before the civil war broke out, Pope Paul VI left Rome for a visit to India aboard India Air and made a quick refueling stop in Beirut.
He was only in Lebanon for around half an hour but was greeted by crowds of admirers at the Beirut Airport as well as the then Lebanese President Charles Helou.
At his time, Pope Paul VI was the most widely traveled pope, having been the first pope to visit six continents. This earned him the nickname of the Pilgrim Pope.
The latest to visit Lebanon was Pope Benedict XVI, who came for a 3-day visit in 2012. More recently, after concluding his historic visit to Iraq, Pope Francis has promised that his next Middle East visit will be to Lebanon.
