The Vatican’s top diplomat met with papal representatives to various Middle Eastern countries to discuss possible avenues toward peace in the region and the state of the Catholic Church there. Source: Catholic Review.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, met in Amman, Jordan, with the Vatican ambassadors to: Bahrain, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria and Yemen.
During their January 13 meeting, the diplomats discussed the “ongoing crisis in the region, the political and ecclesial condition of each country, the signs of hope that can be glimpsed in some, the serious humanitarian situations faced by the people most affected by the conflicts, and the need for solidarity from the international community”, the Vatican said in a statement.
Together, they expressed hope “that the hostilities can soon end on all fronts and the Middle East can be a land of peace, where Christians remain an essential component for fraternal coexistence among the various religions and for the progress of the respective countries,” the statement said.
On the same day, Cardinal Parolin also had a phone call with Joseph Aoun, president of Lebanon and a Maronite Catholic, to congratulate him on winning the country’s election and taking office January 9.
The cardinal “expressed best wishes to him, assuring him of his prayers,” the Vatican said. “He also expressed pleasure with the timely appointment of Mr Nawaf Salam as prime minister.”
Lebanon had been without a president for more than two years since Michel Aoun’s presidential term ended in 2022, after which the Lebanese parliament made 12 unsuccessful attempts to elect a new president.
Despite sharing the same surname, Michel and Joseph Aoun are not related.
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Vatican diplomats discuss paths toward peace in Middle East (By Justin McLellan, CNS via Catholic Review)
