Thousands flock to Beirut for Mass celebrated by pope

Thousands of people flocked Sunday to the Lebanese capital to attend a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI on the last day of his historic visit to this Mediterranean country. The Holy See, who arrived in Lebanon Friday, will celebrate Mass at the Beirut City Center Waterfront at 10 a.m. in the Lebanese capital, where thousands of people have already arrived. The pope’s motorcade departed Harissa, where the Vatican Embassy is located, at around 9 a.m. Security throughout the capital has been stepped up in anticipation of the pontiff’s arrival. On Saturday, Benedict called for interfaith unity to end violence in the Middle East and voiced his admiration of Syrian youth braving their country’s 19-month long crisis. The head of the Catholic Church called Friday for peace and reconciliation among people in the turbulent Middle East region, while denouncing religious fundamentalism as a “falsification of religion.” Prior to his arrival in Beirut, the prelate also urged a halt to arms imports to Syria, which he said were a “grave sin.” Following Sunday’s Mass, there will be a presentation of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation for the Middle East. A lunch in Harissa will be held in the pope’s honor before a farewell ceremony at Rafik Hariri International Airport at 6.30 p.m. (daily star)