The Pope and Christian leaders pledge to collaborate with everyone to bring peace to Lebanon

After a day with three long closed-door meetings, the Pope and the representatives of 9 Christian Churches in Lebanon had an ecumenical meeting to ask God for forgiveness together and to pray for peace and stability.

They prayed in Arabic …

In Armenian …

Or in Syriac …

During the meeting, they recited psalms and read the Beatitudes.

Then the Pope invited them each to pray an Our Father in their own language.

They did not explain what they had discussed during their meetings, but Francisco had a forceful speech that probably summarized the content of the meetings.

It was a call for each person, inside or outside Lebanon to assume their own responsibility.

FRANCISCO
“Enough of using Lebanon and the Middle East for the interests and benefits of others! It is necessary to give the Lebanese the opportunity to be protagonists of a better future, in their land and without undue interference ”.

The Pope and Christian leaders fear the collapse of Lebanon, the only Middle Eastern country where Christians are not an insignificant minority.

That is why Francisco said that the participants have committed to collaborate “abandoning the grudges of the past” and “assuming the responsibilities of the present.”

FRANCISCO
“As Christians, today we want to renew our commitment to build a future together, because the future will be peaceful only if it will be common. Therefore, we assure our Muslim brothers and sisters and those of other religions of our openness and willingness to collaborate in the building fraternity and promoting peace “.

Each of the representatives, including an evangelical, but also Orthodox or Armenians, received a lit candle from the hands of young people from Lebanon.

Before dismissing them, the Pope asked them that when they return to their country, they act thinking about the future of these young people and thinking about the tear-filled eyes of the children of the country.

JMB