杏MAP导航

By Vatican News staff writer

杏MAP导航 Francis and Lebanon鈥檚 Christian leaders held a Day of Prayer and Reflection in the Vatican on Thursday, for the current situation in the trouble-ridden country, and to implore for the grace of peace and stability.

Among the delegation of the Christian leaders was Aram I, the Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians, who spoke to Robert Attarian from Vatican News about the ecumenical meeting and the current situation in Lebanon.

A landmark event

鈥淭he meeting in the Vatican of the Christian spiritual leaders of Lebanon was in my opinion, a landmark event - not in the political sense - but in the perspective of Christian-Muslim cohabitation,鈥� the Catholicos said.

He explained that the Christian leaders came to share with 杏MAP导航 Francis 鈥渢he pain, the suffering, the hopes and the expectations鈥� of the people of Lebanon, 鈥渨ithout any distinction or discrimination鈥�, as the country cannot be understood without the Christian-Muslim coexistence that 鈥渃onstitutes the basis and the identity of Lebanon.鈥�

The meeting, he said, 鈥渨as a significant step forward by taking Lebanon from its present stagnated, chaotic state to new horizons.鈥�

On the path towards 鈥渞ecovery鈥�

Lebanon has been going through a burgeoning economic crisis with severe consequences on its population. The country鈥檚 woes, which intensified in late 2019, is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by a post-civil war political class that has accumulated debt and done little to encourage local industries.

In the face of the economic collapse of the country, the Catholicos noted that the meeting also focused on exposing the present situation in its major aspects, with the aim of seeking the most efficient means embark together a process that he refers to as 鈥渞ecovery.鈥�

鈥淟ebanon is sick, terribly sick; therefore, Lebanon needs recovery,鈥� he said.

Proposing concrete steps to achieve this recovery, the Catholicos underlined the importance of the formation of a new government that will focus on addressing socio-economic problems as a matter of priority in order to meet the needs and expectations of the people.

The closeness of the 杏MAP导航

The Catholicos went on to express his appreciation of 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� closeness to the people of Lebanon amid the country鈥檚 trying times, noting that this meeting in the Vatican is 鈥渁 concrete manifestation of solidarity and support.鈥�

He said that the Vatican, through its moral authority, can play a significant role in supporting Lebanon by 鈥渞eminding the international community of the crucial importance of Lebanon and the vital need of having a new government.鈥�

In this regard, he held up 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� message at the end of the ecumenical ceremony on Thursday, noting that the Holy Father gave a clear message to the international community and political authorities in Lebanon not to ignore the needs of the people.

According to the Catholicos, the message of 杏MAP导航 Francis and the meeting can be summed as: 鈥淭he people are suffering, therefore, by all means, you have to act! This is the time that we have to act!鈥� he urged.

Concluding, the Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians invited all 鈥� Christians and Muslims, political and community leaders 鈥� to work together on the process of recovery for Lebanon.