Pope Francis meets with Lebanon’s PM Saad Hariri

By Vatican News staff writer

The Director of the Holy See Press Office announced on Thursday that the Pope met privately with Saad Hariri, the PM-designate of Lebanon.

Responding to reporters’ questions, Matteo Bruni said the encounter lasted around 30 minutes.

“The Pope wished to reiterate his closeness to the people of Lebanon, who are experiencing a moment of great difficulty and uncertainty, and recalled the responsibility of all political forces to urgently commit themselves to the benefit of the nation,” Mr. Bruni said.

Hopes for a papal visit

He added that Pope Francis also reaffirmed his desire “to visit the country as soon as conditions are favorable.”

The Pope, he said, hopes that “Lebanon, with the help of the international community, will once again embody ‘the Land of the Cedars, the diversity that moves from weakness to strength in a great, reconciled people,’ with its vocation to be a land of encounter, coexistence, and pluralism.”

On his return flight from Iraq on 8 March, Pope Francis announced to reporters that he had promised to visit Lebanon when conditions were right.