Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin Arrives in Beirut

Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, arrived in Lebanon on Sunday afternoon for a four-day “friendship and trust” visit at the invitation of the president of the Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta, Marwan Sehnaoui.

He was welcomed upon his arrival by the outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdallah Bou Habib, Marwan Sehnaoui, the Apostolic Nuncio Paolo Borgia, as well as representatives of Christian religious leaders in Lebanon.

In his first statement, the cardinal stated that he came to Lebanon “as part of efforts to assist the country.” He added, “We ask you to pray with us for this.”

When asked about what prevents, in his opinion, the election of a president in Lebanon, the cardinal responded, “It’s difficult to answer that question,” before adding, “We don’t know what is preventing the Lebanese from electing a president or perhaps we do.”

“We won’t address this issue for now. All I can say is that the Vatican is very concerned about this situation, which we are closely monitoring,” continued Mgr Parolin, emphasizing the Holy See’s commitment to “preserving Lebanon’s unique identity in the Middle East.”

Parolin was also asked if he is carrying any initiative to break the presidential deadlock, to which he replied, “We have a specific program for this visit, but we will spare no effort toward this goal, albeit discreetly.”

The Vatican’s Secretary of State then headed to the apostolic nunciature, in Bzoummar, where he met with Deputy Michel Moawad. Both discussed the situation in the country, mainly at the border, and the presidential deadlock.

Although primarily pastoral, Parolin’s visit also carries political significance. The issue of the vacancy in the presidency of the Republic will be on the agenda of his discussions with the Speaker of the House, Nabih Berry, and the caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Wednesday.

Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin Arrives in Beirut

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