VATICAN CITY –  On Thursday morning, Pope Francis received Mr. Najib Mikati, the interim Prime Minister of Lebanon, to discuss “the current institutional stalemate of the country” and “the inalienable presence of Christians in Lebanon”, according to Vatican officials.

 Mr. Mikati then subsequently met with the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and the Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations.

 According to the Vatican, the Pope reiterated “the Holy See’s concern regarding the difficult socio-economic situation faced by the Lebanese population, aggravated by the current institutional stalemate of the country as it urgently awaits the election of a new President of the Republic.”

 The Pope also emphasised “the importance of the inalienable presence of Christians in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East, the need for peaceful coexistence among Lebanese of different faiths to be strengthened in order to guarantee peace and stability for the entire region.”

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