Good evening. I'm John Yang. On his first international trip as pontiff, Pope Leo is carrying a message of unity and peace to the Middle East.

Today he arrived in Lebanon, where he challenged political leaders to be true peacemakers and set aside their differences.

It's a precarious time in Lebanon. In addition to the deep domestic political divisions,

Israel regularly strikes south Lebanon, straining a fragile truce with Lebanese militias.

Special correspondent Simona Fultin traveled through Lebanon and has this report.

Tucked away in the mountains of northern Lebanon lies St. Charbel, one of the country's holiest pilgrimage

sites. Millions come to the monastery each year to visit the tomb of the Maronite monk

and priest praying for miracles. Thousands of healings, physical and spiritual, have been

attributed to the saint. One miracle, though, has remained elusive.

Peace.

George Karud hopes the Pope's visit can steer the country on the right course.

I have great hope, God willing, that this visit will have an impact,

because we are exhausted, and if it doesn't change anything we will go towards a

very difficult place a ceasefire signed a year ago was supposed to end the war

between Israel and Hezbollah but Israeli bombardment never stopped and is

even intensifying George believes that the solution is to disarm Hezbollah

what is required in the first place is that there is a state and that the weapons are

united in the hands of the state. There is international pressure that we must do this,

and this isn't just international pressure. It's in our interest as Lebanese.

There is no economy, no money, there's nothing.

No country, Arab or Western will give us any support if these weapons remain.

And the clock is ticking Israeli and American pressure to dismantle the paramilitary group

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