Lebanon’s Ambassador to the Vatican, Farid Elias El Khazen, stated that “His Holiness Pope Francis’s visit to Lebanon next June is the embodiment of a desire that he expressed repeatedly and inappropriately, and in response to an invitation addressed to him again by His Excellency President General Michel Aoun during his recent visit to the Holy See.”

In an interview with the National News Agency, El Khazen said: “The Pope was dissatisfied with the unprecedented initiatives he launched towards Lebanon since 2019, most notably the meeting of the heads of churches in the Vatican on July 1st, in the Pope’s personal presence, as well as humanitarian aid and visits by senior officials to Lebanon. Despite his preoccupations and his unsettling health condition, he is now seeking to visit Lebanon. It should be noted that the Pope’s visit to Jerusalem to meet with Russian Patriarch Kirill was announced to be canceled, despite the fact that it was circulated after his visit to Lebanon.”

He pointed out that the objectives of the visit are to “emphasize keenness on continuing interest in Lebanon despite the escalating international crises, most notably the war in Ukraine, as well as putting an end to people’s daily suffering and extricating the country from the crises that afflict it, as well as emphasizing justice and the importance of the Lebanese experience in coexistence among Christians and Muslims.”