Pope calls for peace in Lebanon, consecrates new Roman parish church

(Dec.11, 2006) Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called on Lebanon to back away from a political crisis and asked the international community to help find urgent, peaceful solutions at this "grave moment". "I ask the Lebanese and their political leaders to have at heart exclusively the good of the country," the Pope said, calling for "patient and persevering efforts" and dialogue. Thousands of people descended on central Beirut on Sunday ahead of a mass rally called by the Hezbollah-led opposition to escalate their drive to oust Lebanon's Western-backed government. The Pontiff, speaking to some 40 thousand pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter's Square in Rome, also spoke broadly about the situation in the Middle East, where he said tensions had raised "fears of new violence". He said he shared the strong fears expressed by the Latin Rite Patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, and by the Maronite bishops in the communiqué they published last Wednesday regarding the turbulence in the country. The Pope said Lebanon's troubles were a source of particularly "deep concern" and hoped the international community would help identify the urgent, peaceful solutions and balance necessary for Lebanon and the entire Middle East. He invited everyone to prayer at this grave moment.
Earlier on Sunday, Pope Benedict visited and consecrated his first parish Church as the bishop of Rome. The parish church of Mary the Star of Evangelization, located in Torrino, a neighbourhood in the southern sector of Rome was inaugurated during Advent, the liturgical season which for the past 16 years Rome diocese has dedicated to sensitizing the public and collecting funds for the construction of some 50 new churches to serve the faithful who have moved to the outskirts of the expanding city. "Above all in our highly secularized social context, the parish is a beacon that radiates the light of faith and meets the most profound and authentic desires of man's heart, giving meaning and hope to the lives of individuals and families," the Pontiff said during the inauguration.