Al-Rahi Meets Pope at Vatican, to Head Mass on St. Maroun Occasion on Monday

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi held a meeting on Friday with Pope Francis at the Vatican, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Al-Rahi is expected to head a mass at 7:00 pm on Monday at the Maronite College in Rome on the occasion of Saint Maroun.

The Patriarch traveled on Tuesday to the Vatican on a three-week visit to take part in the meeting of the College of the Cardinals.

Al-Rahi briefed the pope on the security situation in Lebanon and the conditions of the Christians.

For his part, the pope expressed to al-Rahi his solidarity with Christians in the Middle East, stressing the need for their presence in the region.

Al-Rahi will reportedly meet with the Director of the Department of the Middle East and North Africa at the French Foreign Ministry, Jean-François Girault,at the Vatican.

Talks are expected to focus on the presidential deadlock in Lebanon.

The French diplomat concluded on Thursday a two-day visit to Lebanon as his country is seeking to press officials to end the presidential stalemate and ease the tension.

Lebanon has been without a president since May when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of his successor.

Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps have thwarted the elections.

Girault recently held talks in Riyadh, Tehran, Washington and the Vatican over the presidential crisis in Lebanon. He also met with al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri in Saudi Arabia.

H.K.

M.T.