Pope prays for Lebanon’s youths, calls for dialogue amid protests

Pope Francis offered his prayers on Sunday for the young people protesting in Lebanon and asked for the international community’s support to keep the country a place of “peaceful coexistence.”

Addressing thousands of people at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff expressed his closeness to Lebanon’s youths who have been protesting against a political class accused of corruption, mismanagement of state finances and pushing the country towards an economic collapse unseen since the 1975-90 civil war.

The size and geographic reach of the protests have been extraordinary in a country where political movements have long been divided along sectarian lines and struggle to draw nationwide appeal.

During his address, the pontiff also spoke about the environmental protection of the Amazon and respect for its indigenous peoples and their cultures, one of the themes of the three-week assembly of bishops that ended yesterday (October 26).

The synod’s final document warned of the risks to the environment of the Amazon caused by mining and deforestation, which scientists say increases the threat of global warming.

The bishops proposed that the Church should define what would constitute the “ecological sin” of harming the environment and also introduce specific ministries for the care of nature.