His Holiness Pope Francis spoke about the Blessed Patriarch Estephan Douaihy and raised prayers to the Lord Almighty for Lebanon and the Holy Land.
After reciting the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis referred to the beatification of Maronite Patriarch Estephan Douaihy on Friday, August 2 in Lebanon's Bkerke, considering that the new blessed had wisely led the Maronite Church from 1670 to 1704, a difficult period also marked by persecution. He described Blessed Estephan Douaihy as a teacher of faith, an attentive shepherd, and a witness of hope who was always close to the people.
The Pope continued: "Today, too, the Lebanese people are suffering greatly. They are thinking in particular of the families of the victims of the Beirut port explosion," expressing hope that justice and truth would be quickly achieved.
The Pope prayed that the new Blessed would strengthen the faith and hope of the Church in Lebanon and intercede for this beloved country, and called for applause for Blessed Estephan Douaihy.
Pope Francis then moved on to talk about the Middle East, expressing his concern about what is happening in this region, hoping that the bloody and violent conflict will not expand further, and offering his prayers for all the victims, especially the innocent children.
He expressed his closeness to the Druze community in the Holy Land and the people of Palestine, Israel, and Lebanon, without forgetting Myanmar.
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