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Pope Francis calls for day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon

September 2, 2020 CNA Daily News 2

Vatican City, Sep 2, 2020 / 08:00 am (CNA).- At the end of his general audience Wednesday, Pope Francis made a lengthy appeal for peace and harmony in Lebanon, asking people around the world to spend a day in prayer and fasting for the Middle Eastern country.

“For over a hundred years, Lebanon has been a country of hope. Even during the darkest periods of its history, the Lebanese have kept their faith in God and demonstrated the ability to make their land a place of tolerance, respect and coexistence unique in the region,” he said.

“For the good of the country itself, but also of the world, we cannot allow this heritage to be lost.”

Francis said that he wanted Friday, Sept. 4, to be a universal day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon, and invited people of all religions to join in.

He also said he would be sending Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, to Lebanon Sept. 4 as his representative, “to express my closeness and solidarity.”

“We offer our prayers for all of Lebanon and for Beirut,” he said. He closed by asking everyone to stand for a moment of silent prayer.

The pope made his appeal at his first public general audience since the outbreak of coronavirus in Italy over six months ago. The meeting was held with additional security measures in the San Damaso Courtyard inside the Vatican. More than 500 pilgrims were present.   

Pope Francis greeted people as he entered the courtyard, and kissed a Lebanese flag held by a priest.

Later, the pope asked the Lebanese priest, Fr. Georges Breidi, to join him on the platform while he gave his nearly 700-word appeal. Afterward, Breidi thanked Pope Francis for his words, saying “we very much need your support and the support of the universal Church.”

“We cannot continue to live like this in Lebanon,” he added, noting, with emotion in his voice, the large number of Christians who are leaving the country.

“We need your prayers, your support, and your fraternal love. And we await you to bless our beloved land,” the priest told Pope Francis, before embracing him.

Breidi spoke to CNA about his experience immediately afterward: “I really can’t find the right words to say, however, I thank God for this great grace he gave me today.”

“[The pope] asked me if I wanted to say a word of thanks, that which I gave at the end. I hadn’t prepared in advance — I don’t know what I said.”

Sept. 1 marked 100 years since the creation of the State of Greater Lebanon. The country is almost evenly divided between Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, and Christians, most of whom are Maronite Catholics. Lebanon also has a small Jewish population, as well as Druze and other religious communities.

Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut, experienced a large explosion in its port area Aug. 4. The blast, caused by the detonation of a large amount of ammonium nitrate, killed nearly 200 people and injured thousands. It also caused extensive damage to homes and businesses around the area. 

“In particular, I address the inhabitants of Beirut, severely tested by the explosion: take courage, brothers! Faith and prayer be your strength. Do not abandon your homes and your heritage, do not let the dreams of those who have believed in the future of a beautiful and prosperous country fall,” Pope Francis said.

He also urged priests and bishops in Lebanon to accompany their faithful, asking bishops especially to have “apostolic zeal” and to live in “poverty with your poor people who are suffering.”

“Help your faithful and your people to stand up and be protagonists of a new rebirth,” he added.

The pope emphasized the importance of peace, harmony, and brotherhood as a foundation for ensuring the continued presence of Christians in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East.

He quoted St. Pope John Paul II’s 1989 letter to bishops on the situation in Lebanon, which said, “faced with the repeated tragedies that each of the inhabitants of this land knows, we become aware of the extreme danger that threatens the very existence of the country. Lebanon cannot be abandoned in its solitude.”

Francis urged political and religious leaders to commit to reconstruction work in Beirut with transparency and with the common good in mind. He also asked the international community to continue its support. 

“I ask you to entrust our anxieties and hopes to Mary, Our Lady of Harissa. May she support those who mourn their loved ones and instill courage in all those who have lost their homes and part of their lives with them,” he prayed. 

“May she intercede with the Lord Jesus, so that the Land of the Cedars may flourish again and spread the perfume of living together throughout the Middle East region,” he said.


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Tourists in Rome surprised by chance to see Pope Francis

September 2, 2020 CNA Daily News 2

Vatican City, Sep 2, 2020 / 05:50 am (CNA).- Tourists in Rome had an unexpected chance to see Pope Francis at his first public audience for almost six months.

People from all over the world expressed their happiness and surprise Wednesday at having the opportunity to be present at Francis’ first in-person audience since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

“We were surprised because we thought there were no audiences,” Belen and her friend, both from Argentina, told CNA. Belen is visiting Rome from Spain where she lives. 

“We love the pope. He’s from Argentina too and we feel very close to him,” she said.

Pope Francis has been livestreaming his Wednesday general audience from his library since March, when the coronavirus pandemic led Italy and other countries to impose lockdown to slow down the virus’ spread.

The Sept. 2 audience was held in the San Damaso Courtyard on the interior of the Vatican’s apostolic palace, with a capacity of around 500 people.

The announcement that Francis would resume public audiences — albeit in a different location than usual and with limited numbers — was made Aug. 26. Many of the people who attended Wednesday said they just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

One family from Poland told CNA they found out about the audience just 20 minutes beforehand. Seven-year-old Franek, whose name is the Polish version of Francis, was excited he got to tell the pope about their common name.

Beaming, Franek said he was “very happy.”

Sandra, a Catholic visiting Rome from India with her parents, sister, and family friend, said “it feels great. We never thought we could see him, now we are going to.”

They found out about the audience two days before, she said, and decided to go. “We just wanted to see him and have his blessings.”

Pope Francis, not wearing a face mask, took the time to greet pilgrims as he entered and exited the courtyard, taking a moment to exchange a few words or to do a traditional zucchetto exchange.

He also stopped to kiss a Lebanese flag brought to the audience by Fr. Georges Breidi, a Lebanese priest studying at the Gregorian University in Rome.

At the end of his catechesis, the pope brought the priest up to the podium with him while he gave an appeal for Lebanon, announcing a day of prayer and fasting for the country on Friday, Sept. 4, after Beirut experienced a devastating blast Aug. 4.

Breidi spoke with CNA immediately after the experience. He said: “I really can’t find the right words to say, however, I thank God for the grace he gave me today.”

Belen also had the chance to exchange a quick greeting with the pope. She said she is part of the Fraternidad de Agrupaciones Santo Tomás de Aquino (FASTA), a lay association which follows the spirituality of the Dominicans.

She said that she introduced herself, and Pope Francis asked her how the founder of FASTA is doing. The pope knew Fr. Aníbal Ernesto Fosbery, O.P., when he was a priest in Argentina.

“We didn’t know what to say in that moment but it was amazing,” Belen said.

An older Italian couple from Turin traveled to Rome specifically to see the pope when they heard about the public audience. “We came and it was a magnificent experience,” they said.

A family visiting from the U.K. was also excited to be at the audience. Parents Chris and Helen Gray, together with their boys, Alphie, 9, and Charles and Leonardo, 6, are three weeks into a 12-month family journey.

Rome was the second stop, Chris said, noting that the chance for their boys to see the pope was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Helen is Catholic and they are raising their boys in the Catholic Church, Chris said.

“Fantastic opportunity, how do I describe it?” he added. “Just an opportunity to refocus, especially in times like today with everything so uncertain, it’s great to hear words about certainty and community. It gives you a bit more hope and faith for the future.”


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