Pope Francis met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on 25 November. The Holy Father told Lebanon’s new prime minister on Thursday that the crisis-hit country is worth fighting to save. The Pope met privately with Prime Minister Najib Mikati for a 20-minute discussion at the Vatican.
“Lebanon is a country, a message, and also a promise to fight for,” Pope Francis said after the two exchanged gifts in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, according to the Vatican.
Mikati presented the Pope with a brick from the Melkite Catholic Church of the Savior, which was badly damaged by the Beirut port explosion in August 2020.
Pope Francis assured Mikati of his prayers for the efforts to help Lebanon get back on its feet. He recalled the Gospel passage, in which Jesus takes Jairus’ daughter by the hand and says to her: “Arise.”
“Lord God, take Lebanon by the hand and say, ‘Arise!’” the Pope said.
The Pope gave the prime minister a bronze casting depicting workers in a vineyard with the inscription, “May the fruit of the vine and the work of man become for us a cup of salvation.”
At the end of the meeting, the Prime Minister and his delegation joined with the Pontiff in a moment of silent prayer.
Mikati also met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.