At the very end of his trip to Luxembourg and Belgium, Pope Francis made another call for peace in Lebanon.
Addressing the faithful in prayer for the midday Angelus, the Pope said he is "following with sorrow and great worry" the situation there.
"Lebanon is a message, but right now it is a message of sorrow, and this war has devastating effects on the people," he said.
The idea that Lebanon is itself more than a country, but a "message" comes from John Paul II and has been repeated by the popes since then.
It refers to the fact that Lebanon, a Christian country with a Muslim majority, has a unique role in the Holy Land.
John Paul said in 1989: “Lebanon is more than a country: It is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism for the East as well as for the West."
Pope Francis repeated the idea in 2020: "It is a small yet great country, but even more, it is a universal message of peace and fraternity arising from the Middle East."
Today, the Holy Father called for continued prayer: "Let us pray for the victims, for their families. Let us pray for peace."
"I ask all of the parties in conflict for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, in Gaza, in the rest of Palestine and Israel. That the hostages be liberated and humanitarian aid be allowed. And let us not forget wounded Ukraine."
