Pope Benedict XVI sending special envoy to Lebanon

(11 Aug 06) : Pope Benedict XVI is sending his special envoy to Lebanon, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The prelate plans to celebrate the feast of assumption, August 15, along with the embattled country’s most prominent religious leader, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir. Cardinal Etchegaray will be travelling as a personal representative of the Pope, rather than as an official of the Holy See. That subtle distinction is intended to make it easier for the French prelate to manoeuvre quietly without affecting official Vatican policies. However, the prelate will meet not only Catholic bishops but also the highest-ranking state officials: Lebanese political figures such as President Emile Lahoud, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

In the meanwhile, an ecumenical delegation arrived in Beirut on Thursday August 10 to show solidarity with the Christians of Lebanon. The group included Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former Archbishop of Washington; Jean-Arnold de Clermont, president of the Protestant Federation in France; Archbishop Bernard-Nicolas Aubertin of Tours, France; and Marilia Schüller, a member of the World Council of Churches. The delegation will also visit Israel and the Palestinian territories.