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POPE-LEBANON May-12-2008 (260 words) With photos. xxxi
Pope calls for end to fighting in Lebanon, prays to Mary for peace
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI urged an end to fighting in Lebanon and a return to serious negotiations, saying a reasonable compromise was the only way to lasting peace in the country.
The pope's remarks at a Sunday blessing May 11 followed several days of fighting in Beirut and other cities between forces of the Western-backed Lebanese government and opposition militias. More than 80 people were reported killed, and thousands fled their homes.
"I have followed with deep concern the situation in Lebanon in recent days," the pope said from his apartment window above St. Peter's Square. He said he had watched as verbal violence turned to armed clashes, with a rising number of dead and wounded.
"I feel a duty today to urge the Lebanese to abandon all logic of aggressive opposition, which would lead their dear country toward the irreparable," he said.
"Dialogue, mutual understanding and the search for reasonable compromise are the only way to restore to Lebanon its institutions and to the population the necessary security for a dignified daily life," he said.
The pope concluded his remarks with a prayer to Mary, asking that Lebanon return to its vocation as a sign of peaceful harmony in the Middle East.
Noting the country's historically diverse population, he said, "To make Lebanon live is a task for all its inhabitants."
Lebanon remains the Middle Eastern country with the largest Christian population, including an estimated 1.8 million Catholics.
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Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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