On Sunday, Pope Francis concluded his historic visit to Bahrain. During his trip, the pontiff urged Lebanese politicians to put aside personal interests and come to a unified agreement to fill the power vacuum in crisis-hit Lebanon.
The pontiff stated that Lebanon is not a country but a message with great meaning.
“I take this opportunity to appeal to Lebanese politicians: Leave aside self-interest, look at the country, and agree. First God, and after that, the country, then interests. God and the country,” Pope Francis urged on the flight back from Bahrain.
“Right now, I don’t want to say, ‘Save Lebanon,’ because we are not saviors, but please, you have to support Lebanon,” he added.
The country is drowning in a deep political and economic crisis, as it is now without a president after Michel Aoun‘s mandate expired last Monday without a successor.
Worth noting that Prime Minister Najib Mikati had earlier appealed to the Vatican to help push for consensus among Lebanon’s politicians in the presidential election.