Pope Francis has called the Christian leaders of Lebanon to gather at the Vatican to pray for stability in the country.
The meeting will take place on July 1, an unusual date since it is typically the day on which the Pope starts his vacation.
POPE FRANCIS
“Starting now I ask you to accompany the preparation for this event with supportive prayer, invoking for that beloved country a more peaceful future.”
Pope Francis has praised Lebanon as a model of coexistence between Christians and Muslims.
He has also spoken in support of Lebanon's efforts to accept refugees fleeing war in Syria and Iraq. Around its borders there are nearly half a million people in UN refugee camps.
But the country is reaching its breaking point.
55% of its population lives below the poverty line, and there is an increasingly large gap between society and the ruling class which has been repeatedly accused of corruption.
Then came the pandemic, and an explosion at a warehouse in central Beirut which killed 211 people in August 2020.
A new cabinet still hasn't been formed since the government resigned in response to the incident.
In April, Pope Francis met with the Prime Minister-designate of Lebanon, Saad Hariri, who asked the Pope for help in getting Lebanon out of the political and economic crisis. Now the Pope has proposed a day of prayer for the country's Christian leaders at the Vatican.
The Maronite Catholic Patriarch, Béchara Boutros Raï as well as the patriarchs of the Catholic and Orthodox Syriac Churches, Ignatius Joseph III Younan and Ignatios Afram II Karim have all confirmed their attendance.
Catholicos Aram I, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Cilicia, has also confirmed he will attend.
Javier Romero
