Leo XIV visiting a psychiatric hospital

“It’s the visit of a father who comes to meet his sick children! » In her office, Sister Rose Hanna is enthusiastic: in a few days, on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, the institution she directs will receive a visit from the Pope.

While waiting for his arrival, preparations are in full swing. The roads – and only them – that he will use have been coated with a new layer of asphalt, financed by the Lebanese state. At the hospital, the choir made up of patients rehearses the songs that will be performed in front of him, while the theater room, where discussions with Peter’s successor will take place, is in the midst of expansion work, in order to increase its capacity to 500 people.

A home for some patients

Red t-shirt, tattoo of a compass on his arm, Ayssam participates in the rehearsals of the choir which will sing in front of Léon XIV. At the age of 25, he was hospitalized for the third time at the Hôpital de la Croix – first for addiction problems, then for subsequent psychiatric disorders. “The sisters told me that my home was here and that I could stay as long as necessary,” thanks the young man, in good English but at a slightly too fast pace. “Here, I can be treated for free,” says the man who had a tendency to stop taking his medication during his previous discharges from the hospital. I have friends, I can listen to music. I’m happy. »

“We can accommodate a little over a thousand people,” explains Sister Rose Hanna, the director of the establishment. There are chronic patients who live here while others come for shorter stays. »

Unique in its kind, welcoming patients regardless of religious faith, this hospital was founded in 1919 by a Lebanese Capuchin, Jacques Ghazir Haddad. And to ensure its operation, the religious beatified in 2008 founded the congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross.

The taboo of psychiatric illnesses

“There are 38 nuns on site,” continues the director. Our mission is to be an image of Christ to our patients. » In addition to the nuns, who have administrative or nursing functions, the hospital has some 300 nursing staff – there were more than 450 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among them, Foutine Mansour, a nurse who has been present for almost two decades. Dressed all in black, sequined shoes on her feet, she looks with affection at a young man performing Lebanese and international hits on the piano and on voice. “In Lebanon, there is a taboo around psychiatry and sick people are stigmatized,” confides the nurse. By working here, I can help change the way people see these people. This is my vocation, both pastoral and human. »

Fear of bombing

With a determined step, saying affectionate words to the patients she passes, Sister Rose Hanna leads us to an outdoor terrace. From there, on the heights of Beirut, the hospital offers a breathtaking view of the Lebanese capital and its port.

And if on this November morning nothing disturbs the panorama, the clear view allows you to see in the distance, all the way to the southern suburbs of the city. And so to the areas that were shelled by Israeli aircraft for three months straight at the end of last year.

“We could hear the bombings,” confides Sister Rose Hanna. The patients were afraid, especially since some had their families in the South. » “When we perceive specific fears in a patient, we work with them to help them verbalize them,” explains Dr. Fouad Tahan, one of the psychiatrists at the Croix hospital. And we remind our patients that here, they are safe and will be able to access the necessary treatments. » referral to interview

Just-in-time medications

The Israeli bombings also complicated the task of the Croix Hospital by making the supply of medicines more difficult. “There were no longer any boats or planes to bring supplies from abroad,” remembers Rosy Salameh, a pharmacist at the hospital.

He then had to turn to local producers, and above all operate in a much tighter flow. “All of this,” she assures us, “while always trying not to reduce the quantities of medications dispensed to patients. We don’t want to put their health at risk. »

For Doctor Fouad Tahan, the visit of Pope Leo XIV constitutes an opportunity to alert people to these hospital difficulties to improve patient support. “We are lucky to have many partners – the Order of Malta, Caritas, the Œuvre d’Orient and others – but we always need help,” confides the psychiatrist. Any support is helpful to us. »