By IANS/AKI,
Rome: Pope Benedict XVI has praised Lebanon’s Muslims for the “great respect and sincere consideration” they showed him during a vist to the country last week.
“The Muslims welcomed me with great respect and sincere consideration. Their constant affable presence gave me the opportunity to launch a message of dialogue and collaboration between Christianity and Islam,” the pontiff said.
“I believe the time has come to bear sincere and definitive witness together against division, violence and war,” he said.
The pope also praised Lebanon’s Catholics for “the ardour of their faith” and the “highly appreciated contribution to the daily life of all the country’s inhabitants”.
He also recalled his plea for an end to the worsening conflict between Syrian rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the refugee crisis it has sparked in the region.