He met President Aoun on Jan. 31, the first day of the trip, together with other government heads.
Back from #Lebanon… an amazing country with wonderful people! 🇻🇦~🇱🇧
“Stop using Lebanon for outside interests and profits! The Lebanese people must be given the opportunity to be the architects of a better #future in their land, without undue interference”@Pontifex, 01/07/21 pic.twitter.com/NHl5MmOJ3K
— Marco Formica (@dMarcoFormica) February 5, 2022
On Feb. 1 he spoke at a university symposium on the theme of John Paul II and the Lebanon message. He also met with Patriarch Rai and the Maronite bishops, and visited a Catholic-run migrant reception center.
Gallagher also met with Catholic bishops, as well as Orthodox, Muslim, and Druze religious leaders.
In a press conference with local media, the archbishop encouraged the Lebanese people to continue to be an example of a “plural, tolerant, and diverse” Middle East and recalled the role of Christians as “the historical and social connective tissue of Lebanon.”
“Weakening the Christian community risks destroying the internal balance and the Lebanese reality itself,” Gallagher said.
The Vatican envoy also prayed for comfort and consolation for those injured in the 2020 Beirut port explosion and for their families.
Twice during the visit, Gallagher had the opportunity to speak with the families of victims of the blast.
On Feb. 2, the archbishop celebrated Mass for men and women religious in the Roman Catholic Basilica of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
The trip to Lebanon concluded with a visit to the Monastery of Saint Maron and the tomb of Saint Charbel Makhlouf, which is in the town of Annaya.
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