The Vatican’s top diplomat met with papal representatives to various Middle Eastern countries to discuss possible avenues toward peace in the region and the state of the Catholic Church there.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, met in Amman, Jordan, with the Vatican ambassadors to: Bahrain, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria and Yemen.
The meeting took place as part of the cardinal’s visit to Jordan to consecrate a new church built on the site traditionally believed to be where Jesus was baptised along the Jordan River.
During their 13 January meeting, the diplomats discussed the “ongoing crisis in the region, the political and ecclesial condition of each country, the signs of hope that can be glimpsed in some, the serious humanitarian situations faced by the people most affected by the conflicts, and the need for solidarity from the international community,” the Vatican said in a statement.
On the same day, Cardinal Parolin also had a phone call with Joseph Aoun, president of Lebanon and a Maronite Catholic, to congratulate him on winning election and taking office 9 January.
The post Vatican diplomats discuss paths toward peace in Middle East appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.
Credit: Source link
