Pope Francis affirmed that “Lebanon cannot lose its identity, nor the experience of brotherly living together that made it a message to the whole world.” He renewed his desire for “his visit to Lebanon and its beloved people to be realized,” stressing his “warm prayers over the intention of the Lebanese so that they preserve courage and hope in the ordeal they are going through

Pope Francis’ words came in a letter to the President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, thanking him for his congratulatory book on the occasion of the eighth year of his pontificate, and the message that President Aoun sent him following his visit to Iraq, which included an official invitation to the Holy Father to visit Lebanon.

Pope Francis raised a prayer, “To God, to help President Aoun and the political officials to work relentlessly for the common good in the Land of the Cedars.” And he said, “I entrust your dearest country in the hands the Lady of Lebanon, asking the Prince of Peace to bless you and preserve Lebanon and all its children.”