Beirut, Lebanon, Sep 15, 2012 / 11:53 am
In a speech to Lebanese leaders on Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI called for the strengthening of a "culture of peace" that is built upon respect for life, the family and religious liberty.
It is "quite demanding" to achieve peace, the Pope told a gathering of political, cultural and religious leaders at the Presidential Palace in the city of Baabda, Sept. 15. Peace involves "rejecting revenge, acknowledging one's faults, accepting apologies without demanding them, and, not least, forgiveness. Only forgiveness, given and received, can lay lasting foundations for reconciliation and universal peace."
He praised Lebanon as a Middle Eastern country where Christianity and Islam "have lived side by side for centuries." In Lebanon, he said, it is "not uncommon to see the two religions within the same family." If it is possible to have harmony within the same family, he asked, "why should it not be possible at the level of the whole of society?"
Pope Benedict had begun the second day of his apostolic visit with a private Mass at the Apostolic Nunciature of Harissa before being taken by car to the Presidential Palace. There he was greeted by the President of Lebanon, General Michel Sleiman. The two men then had a private meeting.