We Meet in Our Unity, and We Rise Through It

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, in the name of the Creator and Originator whom we worship as if we see Him while He sees us, in the name of the truth contained in our sacred books and heavenly messages, all calling to uphold humanity and preserve human dignity.

It is our joy to welcome you, Your Holiness, appreciating your gracious gesture, and praying together for the salvation of Lebanon and the region, hoping to envelop pain with hope and suffering with aspiration.

We meet in our unity and rise through it, holding firmly to this spiritual and national partnership, which is the umbrella of our life, our common bond, and our source of strength. Lebanon can be the highest example of diversity in unity if we understand it well, benefit from the richness of its components, and respect one another’s particularities. Its strength lies not in its size or population, but in its openness and strategic location. Our task is to perform this role well and take advantage of this position and this openness.

We are certain that our nation can only be built upon a golden ethical foundation, requiring each spiritual family to preserve its partner in the homeland, and that our gathering together, Muslims and Christians, can create a spark of hope in this dark surrounding atmosphere. We are confident that the shepherd is righteous, the flock faithful, and that good will triumph over evil, and light will dispel darkness.

Your visit, Your Holiness, calls us to rise to higher ideals and to open the doors of love and mercy—the Christian love and Islamic mercy—while closing the windows of fanaticism and extremism, so that the voice of peace may prevail over the sounds of war. War is a defeat for all, and violence brings no peace, as stated in the message of your predecessor, Pope Francis.

We remain merely advocates of goodness and harmony, guardians of the homeland of the message, relying on God Almighty as the best support, and on Your Holiness as a blessed and loving friend to Lebanon… Long live you, and long live Lebanon.