In this Holy Year called the Jubilee of Hope, the suffering endured by the Lebanese people over the years carries with it a message of hope, says a top Vatican cardinal.
The hope that Cardinal Michael Czerny has in mind stems from the resilience and courage with which the people of Lebanon “have faced countless challenges.”
“These challenges persist, but they are met with intelligence and creativity — essential virtues for societies striving to coexist despite their differences," said the cardinal, who is prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Czerny, a native of Czechia, will be in Lebanon from February 19-23. He told Vatican News’ Salvatore Cernuzio that he is traveling there at the invitation of the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï, and intends to remind people that Pope Francis “remembers, prays for, and stands in solidarity with Lebanon, and sends his affection to its people.”
“I am happy to finally make the journey and bear witness to the work being carried out by the local Church, particularly in the aftermath of the war that forced a million people to flee their homes in southern Lebanon for three months,” Czerny said.
Israel, simultaneously with fighting Hamas, the militant group controlling Gaza, also invaded Lebanon last year in response to a series of attacks from Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia that is based in Lebanon. The war led to thousands of people being internally displaced.
A cease-fire in November stipulated that Israel and Hezbollah would cede control of southern Lebanon to the Lebanese military by the end of January, a deadline which was extended. But Israel held onto strategic positions along the border, saying that the Lebanese military must fully implement its end of the agreement, The New York Times said.
