Pope Francis received Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai at the Vatican on Monday morning and assured him of the Holy See's desire to "preserve Lebanon's characteristics of diversity, dialogue and coexistence, as well as the presence of Christians" in the country. Rai's visit came as Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib also visited the Vatican as part of a tour of Europe aimed at pushing for a cease-fire in Lebanon.

Bishop Rai handed Pope Francis three documents dealing in particular with the security, social and humanitarian situations in Lebanon, in the context of the war between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. These documents provide information on the crisis caused by the internal displacement of more than a million people in the country, and how the Church can address it. Another document discusses the conclusions of the spiritual summit that took place last Friday in Bkirki, while the third deals with the presidential vacancy.

Vatican's desire to help Lebanon

In the morning, Abdallah Bou Habib spoke with his counterpart at the Holy See, Cardinal Richard Paul Gallagher. "I felt the deep concern of the Vatican over the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, in particular the fate of 16 Christian villages in southern Lebanon, in addition to the political impasse and the failure to elect a president, and I felt the Vatican's desire to help Lebanon overcome this crisis, and we agreed on the need to stop the suffering and the killings," said the head of Lebanese diplomacy, following the meeting. "Cardinal Gallagher told me that he admired the ability of the Lebanese to shine and succeed despite everything," he added.

Bou Habib's European tour aims to obtain broader diplomatic support for a cease-fire in Lebanon, culminating in the Paris conference scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24, at the initiative of France, with a view to providing aid to Lebanon. On Sept. 23, after nearly a year of war between Hezbollah and Israel of attrition on the southern border, Israel launched a major offensive in south Lebanon and the Bekaa, which has led to the displacement of more than a million people and brought the war toll to more than 2,400 dead and 11,200 wounded. In Italy, the head of diplomacy will participate in a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States), which will be held in Pescara, at the official invitation of his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani.

According to the ministry's statement published by the state-run National News Agency (NNA), the Lebanese foreign minister will advocate for a "full and balanced" implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and the reinforcement of the deployment of the Lebanese army south of the Litani River, in accordance with the provisions of this resolution. The head of Lebanese diplomacy will also request the sending of emergency humanitarian aid to deal with the consequences of the displacement of about a quarter of the Lebanese population, or 1.4 million people, since the start of the expanded offensive by the Israeli army on Sept. 23.