Pope Francis to President Aoun: Lebanon cannot lose its identity

Pope Francis said on Tuesday that Lebanon cannot lose its identity and its brotherly coexistence experience which made it a message for the whole world.

In a letter sent to President Michel Aoun, the pope reiterated his desire to visit the country and its beloved people, sending his prayers for the Lebanese to preserve their courage and hope amid the difficult time that they are facing.

Pope Francis's letter to President Aoun comes to thank him for sending a book as a gift to mark the eighth year of his pontificate, and for the letter that President Aoun sent him following his visit to Iraq, which included an official invitation to visit Lebanon.

The pope also offered his prayers in order to help President Aoun and the political leaders “to work relentlessly for the common good in the land of the Cedars.”