Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Francis Prevost (L) gestures on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica, after the cardinals ended the conclave, in the Vatican, on May 8, 2025. (Credit: Andrej Isakovic/AFP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Arab world's only Christian head of state, congratulated newly elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, expressing hope that he would strengthen interfaith dialogue.
Aoun, elected in January under Lebanon's multi-confessional power-sharing system, said in a statement from his office that he hoped the new pontiff would "strengthen dialogue between religions and cultures."
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Arab world's only Christian head of state, congratulated newly elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, expressing hope that he would strengthen interfaith dialogue.
Aoun, elected in January under Lebanon's multi-confessional power-sharing system, said in a statement from his office that he hoped the new pontiff would "strengthen dialogue between religions and cultures."