Beirut, Lebanon, Sep 16, 2012 / 10:10 am
Pope Benedict XVI told an open-air Mass in the Lebanese capital of Beirut that the Christians of the Middle East must be peacemakers in the often troubled region.
"Dear brothers and sisters, I pray in particular that the Lord will grant to this region of the Middle East servants of peace and reconciliation, so that all people can live in peace and with dignity," the Pope said to a congregation of over 350,000 gathered on Beirut's waterfront Sept. 16.
"This is an essential testimony which Christians must render here, in cooperation with all people of good will. I appeal to all of you to be peacemakers, wherever you find yourselves."
The Mass marked the final day of Pope Benedict's 3-day Apostolic Visit to Lebanon. He used the occasion to present his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in Medio Oriente" to the Church in the Middle East. He said he hoped the document would be "a guide to follow the various and complex paths where Christ goes before you."