Raphaël Bedros XXI Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholics
December 01, 2025 · 18:30
Beloved Holy Father,
Today, all of Lebanon has lived a day of grace.
Your prayer in the grotto of Saint Charbel, the saint of silence and light, reminded us of the saving power of faith.
Now, we gather before Our Lady of Lebanon beneath the maternal gaze of the One who embraces all her children. This sanctuary is a place where peoples and religions meet and reconcile. Our Lady of Harissa is Lebanon’s spiritual stronghold. To her, we entrust our nation, the Church, and the entire world.
Most Holy Father, your visit today is a living flame of prayer and hope, illuminating every corner of our country. Day after day, wherever we may be – in churches, chapels, or homes – our voices rise as a single hymn, like incense ascending toward heaven.
We pray with you, Holy Father, for peace, for justice, and for the rebirth of our beloved Lebanon.
On this blessed land, cradle of the Christian East, the roots of faith are ancient and deep.
Here, where the languages and liturgies of East and West resound, the plurality of traditions becomes a treasure – a sign of God’s manifold grace.
Together with our brothers and sisters who share our thirst for peace and justice, we bear witness that coexistence is possible, and that love is stronger than every division.
In recent years, the Lebanese people have faced trials that have shaken their body and soul. And yet, we remain present. Despite the pain and fatigue, we continue to move forward as guardians of hope and witnesses of peace.
In these moments, prayer becomes living action: we extend a hand to the poor, accompany lost and weary youth, and wipe the tears of those who have lost everything.
We have preserved the memory of the martyrs and turned it into a lived Gospel, incarnated in daily life. From this ardent faith springs the strength of the Christian East: a strength that nourishes, protects life, and defends the dignity of every person, in a country that is home to eighteen religious communities – a concrete sign of how faith can build bridges over the wounds of the world.
Like the disciples in the boat amid the storm who cried out, “Save us, Lord, we are perishing!” (Mt 8:25), we too, children of this wounded land, entrust ourselves to your intercession, confident that the Lord will grant Lebanon and the entire Middle East true Peace, born of the Risen Christ.
Your presence, Holy Father, reminds us that God is with us. The Church is with us. We are never alone.
May the grace of God descend like gentle rain upon our mountains and valleys.
May the light of the Gospel illuminate every heart, every home, and every step of our journey.
In the Risen Christ,
Today, all of Lebanon has lived a day of grace.
Your prayer in the grotto of Saint Charbel, the saint of silence and light, reminded us of the saving power of faith.
Now, we gather before Our Lady of Lebanon beneath the maternal gaze of the One who embraces all her children. This sanctuary is a place where peoples and religions meet and reconcile. Our Lady of Harissa is Lebanon’s spiritual stronghold. To her, we entrust our nation, the Church, and the entire world.
Most Holy Father, your visit today is a living flame of prayer and hope, illuminating every corner of our country. Day after day, wherever we may be – in churches, chapels, or homes – our voices rise as a single hymn, like incense ascending toward heaven.
We pray with you, Holy Father, for peace, for justice, and for the rebirth of our beloved Lebanon.
On this blessed land, cradle of the Christian East, the roots of faith are ancient and deep.
Here, where the languages and liturgies of East and West resound, the plurality of traditions becomes a treasure – a sign of God’s manifold grace.
Together with our brothers and sisters who share our thirst for peace and justice, we bear witness that coexistence is possible, and that love is stronger than every division.
In recent years, the Lebanese people have faced trials that have shaken their body and soul. And yet, we remain present. Despite the pain and fatigue, we continue to move forward as guardians of hope and witnesses of peace.
In these moments, prayer becomes living action: we extend a hand to the poor, accompany lost and weary youth, and wipe the tears of those who have lost everything.
We have preserved the memory of the martyrs and turned it into a lived Gospel, incarnated in daily life. From this ardent faith springs the strength of the Christian East: a strength that nourishes, protects life, and defends the dignity of every person, in a country that is home to eighteen religious communities – a concrete sign of how faith can build bridges over the wounds of the world.
Like the disciples in the boat amid the storm who cried out, “Save us, Lord, we are perishing!” (Mt 8:25), we too, children of this wounded land, entrust ourselves to your intercession, confident that the Lord will grant Lebanon and the entire Middle East true Peace, born of the Risen Christ.
Your presence, Holy Father, reminds us that God is with us. The Church is with us. We are never alone.
May the grace of God descend like gentle rain upon our mountains and valleys.
May the light of the Gospel illuminate every heart, every home, and every step of our journey.
In the Risen Christ,