Mar Ignatius Aphrem II Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church Worldwide
December 01, 2025 · 17:00
Your Holiness Pope Leo XIV, Most Blessed,
Their Beatitudes, Excellencies, Reverences, and Dignitaries,
Distinguished Guests,
With spiritual joy and great hope, I welcome Your Holiness to the land of holiness, Lebanon, the heart of God, recalling the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger, who announces peace, who brings good news” (Isaiah 52:7).
I welcome you on behalf of the See of Antioch, which shares with the See of Rome in the service of Peter the foremost of the Apostles and Paul the Apostle of the Nations, and on behalf of all the Christians of the East, who have witnessed and continue to witness for the Lord Christ since the beginning of Christianity, despite the persecutions and hardships they have endured through the ages, which have drastically reduced their numbers and threatened their presence in the land of their ancestors.
In recent years, our countries, with their Muslims and Christians alike, have suffered from extremist terrorist campaigns, devastating wars, and a fierce Israeli enemy, accelerating the displacement of many. Yet, these existential challenges have also strengthened joint efforts among the churches of our East, leading to what your esteemed predecessor, Pope Francis, called the “Ecumenism of Blood.”
Your Holiness,
Your apostolic visit comes at a sensitive moment in the history of this region, witnessing major upheavals and profound transformations. We hope it will bring stability, justice, and peace to our region, long absent. The people of this land yearn for a peace founded on justice, which must safeguard human dignity and freedom under a state governed by law and equality in rights and duties.
Your Holiness,
Christians and Muslims have lived on this blessed land for centuries, sharing both sufferings and hopes, eager to continue living together, learning from the experiences of their forebears. While academic dialogue among religious representatives is important, the lived experience of coexistence remains the most vital element in strengthening it. The East is not merely boundaries drawn on maps; it is life to be lived, memory to be preserved, and a fabric of human relations woven over centuries between Muslims and Christians. Here we learn that coexistence is not a slogan but a life dialogue based on sincere encounter, mutual respect, and the responsibility of all toward humanity—all humanity—because the human being is the focus of our mission and the ultimate goal of our calling.
In this beloved country, Lebanon, we have realized that a person is not complete without their brother, and that the encounter of the children of religions can build a cohesive society capable of confronting fanaticism and division, and instilling hope in times burdened by hardship. Whenever the voice of injustice rises or the wound of division deepens, the Church in Lebanon and the East remains a witness to the human conscience, calling for honest dialogue, respect for religious freedom, and the protection of the dignity of every human being created in the image and likeness of God.
Your Holiness,
We know that you will carry in your heart the sufferings of this afflicted East and will work tirelessly to alleviate them, ensuring a free and dignified life for all its inhabitants, through your prayers, your relations, and your actions with those of good will.
Let us together lift our prayers to the Lord God, asking Him to bless this meeting and make Your Holiness’ visit a new light in our wounded East—a light that dispels fear from hearts, awakens hope in souls, and restores to the peoples of our region confidence in the Lord’s promise: “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
Their Beatitudes, Excellencies, Reverences, and Dignitaries,
Distinguished Guests,
With spiritual joy and great hope, I welcome Your Holiness to the land of holiness, Lebanon, the heart of God, recalling the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger, who announces peace, who brings good news” (Isaiah 52:7).
I welcome you on behalf of the See of Antioch, which shares with the See of Rome in the service of Peter the foremost of the Apostles and Paul the Apostle of the Nations, and on behalf of all the Christians of the East, who have witnessed and continue to witness for the Lord Christ since the beginning of Christianity, despite the persecutions and hardships they have endured through the ages, which have drastically reduced their numbers and threatened their presence in the land of their ancestors.
In recent years, our countries, with their Muslims and Christians alike, have suffered from extremist terrorist campaigns, devastating wars, and a fierce Israeli enemy, accelerating the displacement of many. Yet, these existential challenges have also strengthened joint efforts among the churches of our East, leading to what your esteemed predecessor, Pope Francis, called the “Ecumenism of Blood.”
Your Holiness,
Your apostolic visit comes at a sensitive moment in the history of this region, witnessing major upheavals and profound transformations. We hope it will bring stability, justice, and peace to our region, long absent. The people of this land yearn for a peace founded on justice, which must safeguard human dignity and freedom under a state governed by law and equality in rights and duties.
Your Holiness,
Christians and Muslims have lived on this blessed land for centuries, sharing both sufferings and hopes, eager to continue living together, learning from the experiences of their forebears. While academic dialogue among religious representatives is important, the lived experience of coexistence remains the most vital element in strengthening it. The East is not merely boundaries drawn on maps; it is life to be lived, memory to be preserved, and a fabric of human relations woven over centuries between Muslims and Christians. Here we learn that coexistence is not a slogan but a life dialogue based on sincere encounter, mutual respect, and the responsibility of all toward humanity—all humanity—because the human being is the focus of our mission and the ultimate goal of our calling.
In this beloved country, Lebanon, we have realized that a person is not complete without their brother, and that the encounter of the children of religions can build a cohesive society capable of confronting fanaticism and division, and instilling hope in times burdened by hardship. Whenever the voice of injustice rises or the wound of division deepens, the Church in Lebanon and the East remains a witness to the human conscience, calling for honest dialogue, respect for religious freedom, and the protection of the dignity of every human being created in the image and likeness of God.
Your Holiness,
We know that you will carry in your heart the sufferings of this afflicted East and will work tirelessly to alleviate them, ensuring a free and dignified life for all its inhabitants, through your prayers, your relations, and your actions with those of good will.
Let us together lift our prayers to the Lord God, asking Him to bless this meeting and make Your Holiness’ visit a new light in our wounded East—a light that dispels fear from hearts, awakens hope in souls, and restores to the peoples of our region confidence in the Lord’s promise: “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).