Why Francis has summoned Christian leaders from Lebanon

Francis has summoned the Christian leaders of Lebanon to pray together for the stability of the country. 

The meeting will be in the Vatican on July 1. It is an atypical date, because normally that day the Pope begins his vacation.

FRANCISCO
“From this moment on I ask you to accompany the preparation of this event with prayer of solidarity, asking for a more serene future for that beloved country.”

Francis has always praised Lebanon for being a model of coexistence between Christians and Muslims. 

It has also appreciated that it welcomes refugees who escaped from the wars in Syria or Iraq. Near its borders there are almost half a million people in UN reception camps.

But the country is on the edge. 

55% of its population lives below the poverty line. The gap between society and a ruling class accused of corruption is almost irreparable. 

The coup de grace was given by the management of the pandemic and the crisis of August 2020, when the explosion of a warehouse in the port of Beirut caused 211 deaths.

Then the government resigned and no executive could be created. 

The Pope met in April with Saad Hariri, who asked him for support to bring the country out of political and economic paralysis. Now Francis has proposed to Christian leaders this day of prayer in the Vatican. 

For the moment they have already accepted the Maronite Catholic Patriarch, Béchara Boutros Raï and the Catholic and Orthodox Patriarchs of the Church of Antioch of the Syrians, Ignatius Joseph III Younán, and Ignatios Afram II Karim. 

On the part of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Cilician Catholics, Aram I.

Romereports.com