Photo by Joselyn King Monsignor Bakhos Chidiak of Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Wheeling shows the church’s holiday decorations.

WHEELING — American-born Pope Leo XIV visited Lebanon this week, and the move touched the heart of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church members in Wheeling.

It marked the first foreign trip for Leo XIV, who also made a stop in Turkey. Since 1967, a Pope has visited the Lebanese region fewer than four times, according to Monsignor Bakhos Chidiac — who is a native of Lebanon.

“He came with a clear message — don’t leave Lebanon,” Chidiac said of the Pope. “He was amazed by the beauty. He told them to be rooted in their country.”

The Catholic faith needs them to remain and grow in areas where they are a minority, Chidiac explained.

The pope, while in Turkey, visited the site of the first Ecumenical Council of Nicea on the occasion of its 1700th anniversary, Chidiac reported. He did not, however, visit Hagia Sophia, once a Byzantine church that was converted into a Muslim temple.

In Lebanon, Leo XIV wanted to pay homage to two monks who “found their way to heaven,” Chidiac continued.

The pope visited the tomb of St. Sharbel, who placed his focus on serving God above obtaining material things, he explained.

“He knelt before his tomb and that is of great significance,” he said. “He never asked for money. He prayed all his time, and he died on the altar and became a saint with many miracles done.

“This monk, St. Sharbel… he found his way to heaven.”

The pope then moved on to the tomb of Father Jacob, who focused his life on serving the mentally challenged, Chidiac noted.

“He established a hospital for them. He died, but he had many nuns taking care of them,” he continued.

Leo XIV went to visit that hospital, and he asked for a private meeting, according to Chidiac. He didn’t take anyone with him. Reportedly, the pope told patients there the church respects them “because they are creatures of God,” according to Chidiac.

“Imagine, he didn’t say, ‘Take me to visit the millionaires,'” he said. “He did not say take me to visit the palace.

“Pope Leo wanted to discover how these two monks found their way to heaven.”

The pope also presented a message for politicians that called for community inclusion, Chidiac continued. That was, “Disarm your hearts first in order to live in peace with each other.”

There are 22 different branches of the Catholic Church, he explained. Across the U.S., there are just 140 Maronite Catholic churches and Our Lady of Lebanon in Wheeling is the only one in West Virginia.

The city also has Roman Catholic churches, as well as one Ukrainian Catholic church, Chidiac noted. All of the branches of the Catholic church believe in the same creed, he explained. They offer communion, and believe in the presence of Jesus and the eucharist.

“But there are two differences — how we dress and our prayers,” he added.

Prayers in the Maronite churches are conducted in the “language of Jesus Christ,” which is the Syriac form of Aramaic, Chidiac said. They are then translated into English.

“We are from the land of Jesus, and we need people to hear how it sounded,” he explained.