Pope Francis called on Lebanese politicians on Sunday to urgently elect a new president, to get the country’s governing institutions functioning again.
“I address an urgent invitation to all Lebanese politicians to elect the president of the republic immediately,” the pontiff said at Saint Peter’s Square at the end of Sunday Angelus prayer.
Francis stated that in order to implement the required reforms and maintain Lebanon’s position as a model for peaceful coexistence of various religions, its institutions must “begin functioning normally again.”
In an attempt to fill a two-year leadership void, Lebanese Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a presidential election for January 9.Since the end of Michel Aoun’s tenure in October 2022, Lebanon has been without a president.
Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, and its opponents are the two largest blocs in parliament, but neither has the majority needed to choose a head of state, and they have failed to reach a consensus on a candidate.
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