Amid cheering crowds Pope Benedict XVI arrived to the Basilica of St. Paul in Harissa at
6:00 pm on Friday, where he signed the Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of
Bishops, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Michel Sleiman,
as well as senior political and religious officials.
To watch the visit through live streaming please click on this link
Upon arrival, his Holiness was handed the key of Daraoun
village - Harrisa from the region's municipality head, Antoine Shaker
Al-Shamal.
The Supreme Pontiff walked inside the Basilica to the sound of Byzantine hymns.
Later, the Melkite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of
Alexandria and of Jerusalem, Mgr. Gregorio III Lahham, and Holy Synod
Coordinator Ratirovitch, delivered two separate words marking this
special occasion. Lahham thanked the Vatican for its interest in
peace in the Middle East, calling for int'l recognition of a Palestinian State and for maintaining faith in the presence of Christians in
the Middle East.
A Maronite hymn followed in preparation for the Pope's word
before signing the Apostolic Exhortation, which will be handed to the
Lebanese during Sunday's mass.
In one of its points, the Apostolic
Exhortation called on Christians, Muslims and Jews to fight extremism.
In his speech the Supreme Pontiff
stressed on the importance of the Apostolic Exhortation, saying that "it is of large significance
because it reverberates across the entire Middle East". He then lauded the Christians of the Middle East, praising them as the first to receive the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
"Christians in the Middle East grant believers a sense of the ideologies set forth by the Lord," he said.
"Maintain your faith and do not fear, show mercy to others and reflect Godliness in your works," the Pope added.
Pope Benedict XVI's Spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi held a press
conference at 8.00 p.m. at the Phoenicia Hotel Press
Room, where he spoke about the first day of the Pope's visit to
Lebanon.
Arrival:
On board an Alitalia plane, Pope Benedict arrived at Beirut's Rafik Hariri airport on Friday, at the start of a three-day visit aimed at addressing the position of Christians in a region torn by civil war in neighboring Syria. Church bells chimed across the country as the plane of the Holy See landed.
The Lebanese army had deployed thousands of troops to secure the Pope's visit in which he stressed unity among the different Christian churches in the Middle East and peace between Christians and Muslims.
Patriarch Beshara Rai, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman,
Prime Minister Najib Mikati and House Speaker Nabih Berri were among the first
to receive the Holy See.
Heads of religious communities, bishops, and a number of political figures, including the Change and Reform bloc Chief MP Michel Aoun, U.S. Ambassador Mora Connelly, Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdel Karim Ali and heads of security agencies were also among the first to welcome the Pope.
Upon arriving the Pope called for a halt to weapons imports to Syria, dubbing arms imports a “grave sin". He described the Arab Spring as a positive “cry for freedom”
but one that must include tolerance.
The Pope continued: "I visit Lebanon
for the signing of the Apostolic Exhortation,
which constitutes an important event".
"I am here to grant you my peace" the Pope said, "Lebanon has been exemplary in portraying coexistence with
its confessional diversity," he added.
"May God bless all of you," he concluded amid cheers.
To read the full speech of the Pope please click here.
For his part, President Sleiman
expressed hope during his reception speech for the Pope's visit to bring peace to Lebanon and Middle Eastern Christians.
"Lebanon has always demonstrated perseverance
through resistance, sacrifice and martyrdom for the sake of its freedom, independence
and values,” Sleiman added.
Sleiman called for finding a just
solution for the issue of Palestinian refugees securing their “right of return”.
The Pope then held a meeting with the President before heading to
the Papal embassy. Following his departure, air traffic resumed at 3 p.m. at the Beirut International Airport.
Among the first groups to welcome Pope Benedict XVI were rows of
hundreds of child and teen members of the Hezbollah scouts, alongside
black chador-clad Shiite Muslim women waving the Lebanese flags.
Some 1,000 boys and girls - all members of the Mahdi scouts - lined up
on the road out from the airport dressed in well-pressed shirts, blue
or military green depending on their ages, adorned with a badge showing
the picture of Iranian religious and political leader, Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini AFP reported.
Roads were closed closed only to be reopened following the arrival of the Holy See to
the Papal Embassy in Daroun - Harissa where he will be residing during
his stay.
Crowds were seen lined up on both sides of the Jounieh highway
to greet the Supreme Pontiff as the convoy drove on its way
to the Papal embassy. Believers were carrying Vatican and Lebanese
flags and were burning incense.
The Presidential office urged citizens to gather on the
road leading to the Presidential Palace as of 8 a.m. tomorrow to see the Pope up
close and have his blessings.
Preparations:
Preparations at Beirut International Airport were finalized, and security
forces have taken strict measures.
Security, technical, and
logistical preparations have also been made complete with posters of the
Pope and banners welcoming his arrival raised along the road from the
airport leading to to his residence.
Lebanese authorities have put all security forces in a
state of high alert in preparation for
the Pope's visit,
which comes amid fears
of repercussions of
the Syrian crisis
on the country.
Army Command, in preparation for the Pope's visit to Lebanon announced
the strict application of the National Defense Ministry's decision
issued on the 31st of May 2012 related to the suspension of all weapon
licenses in various Lebanese regions.
The suspension includes all except
licenses for people accompanying former and current ministers and
deputies as well as heads of political parties and religious
communities.
The exception also applies to licenses of weapons issued
for year 2012 given to diplomats, members of the syndicates of jewelers and money
changers.
The Army Command also banned paragliding above the area of
Jounieh and the surroundings of the his Holiness' residence.
Papal Schedule:
SATURDAY
On his second day, the Pope will be at the Baabda Palace where he will hold a series of meetings with the Lebanese
President, Prime Minister, and Speaker of the parliament as well as other private
meetings with the heads of Islamic sects, diplomatic, spiritual and cultural
figures.
Another remarkable stop will be on Saturday evening as the Pope is scheduled to meet with youth at Bkerke.
SUNDAY
The third and final day of the
Supreme Pontiff in Lebanon will
be crowned by a Holy Mass at the Beirut waterfront with the presence of officials and crowds.
During this day, the Apostolic Exhortation of
the Special Synod of Bishops for the Middle East will be
distributed. The next stop for
the Pope will be at the headquarters of the Patriarchate of
Syriac Catholics Daroun.
After transporting the Pope to the
airport, where an official and popular farewell ceremony will be held, the
Mercedes 600 Papa Mobili will then rest.
For the set road deviations throughout the Papal visit please click here
Reactions:
Deputy head of the Islamic Shiite Supreme Council, Sheikh Abdul Amir
Qabalan, welcomed Friday Pope Benedict XVI in Lebanon, hoping his visit
would bring forth goodness to all Lebanese.
Kataeb Deputy Sami Gemayel on Friday called upon the Lebanese, Muslims
and Christians, to receive Pope Benedict XVI, "who insisted on visiting
our dear country, for what it embodies of civilization, culture, and
human values in the East."
REUTERS/LBCI
For the full LBCI report, please click on the video above