Beirut, Lebanon, Sep 16, 2012 / 11:21 am
Pope Benedict XVI has placed the Middle East under the "maternal protection" of Our Lady and has asked her to help bring peace to war-torn Syria and the entire region.
"May God grant to your country, to Syria and to the Middle East the gift of peaceful hearts, the silencing of weapons and the cessation of all violence! May men understand that they are all brothers!" said the Pope in his midday Angelus address Sept. 16.
"May we, with God's help, be converted so as to work ardently to establish the peace that is necessary for harmonious coexistence among brothers, whatever their origins and religious convictions."
The pontiff addressed a vast open-air congregation of over 350,000 following the conclusion of Sunday Mass on Beirut's waterfront. Many of those in attendance were from neighboring countries, including Syria. Syria has been torn by internal conflict since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.