Shafaqna English – Pope Leo called on the leaders of Lebanon’s religious communities to unite for peace.
“May every bell toll, every Adhan, every call to prayer blend into a single, soaring hymn,” he said, using the Arabic term for the Muslim call to prayer.
The pope met faith leaders on Monday in the central Martyrs’ Square, situated on the “green line” that divided Muslim west and Christian east Beirut during the 1975-90 civil war, and urged them to be “builders of peace”.
Lebanese representatives of the Alawite and Druze communities which have suffered through bouts of sectarian violence in neighboring Syria this year spoke at the event.
Deputy Head of the Supreme Shia Islamic Council, Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib thanked Pope for his visit during the interfaith meeting and said the country was riddled with wounds “as a result of Israeli continued attacks”.