Pope Francis issued an urgent call on Sunday for Lebanese politicians to elect a president immediately to restore a normal functioning of the country’s institutions.
Speaking after his traditional Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope urged, “I address an urgent invitation to all Lebanese politicians to elect the President of the Republic immediately.”
He emphasized the need for institutions to resume normal operations to implement necessary reforms and ensure the country serves as an example of peaceful coexistence among different religions.
On Thursday, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced that the presidential election would take place on 9 January.
Since the end of President Michel Aoun’s term on 31 October 2022, disagreements between the armed Shiite movement Hezbollah and its opponents have prevented the election of a head of state, as neither camp holds a parliamentary majority.
However, Hezbollah’s new leader Naïm Qassem, who succeeded the group’s long-term leader Hassan Nasrallah after he was killed in an Israeli strike in late September, promised in a speech on 20 November to make “an effective contribution to the election of a president.”
The Pope’s statements come just days after a ceasefire was established between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.
“I welcome the ceasefire reached in recent days in Lebanon and hope it can be respected by all parties, allowing those affected by the conflict, both Lebanese and Israeli, to return home,” Pope Francis said.
In his last statement on behalf of the EU, High Representative Josep Borrell stated that Lebanon now has to move forward with the swift election of a President, after two years of vacancy, to start rebuilding a strong and sovereign Lebanese State, following the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
According to the agreement, Hezbollah and all non-state groups must be disarmed. The government army will have to confront Hezbollah, replace it in southern Lebanon, destroy all its military positions and infrastructure, destroy is weapons factories in Lebanon, and prevent any smuggling of weapons to it across Lebanese borders.
