Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday, thanking him for his continued efforts to support Lebanon and urging the Holy See to maintain diplomatic pressure on the Israeli occupation forces to end their attacks and withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory.
President Aoun made the remarks during a meeting with the pope, followed by talks with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.
The Lebanese president arrived at 9:30 a.m. at the Vatican’s Santi Damaso Courtyard, where he was received by Monsignor Javier Fernández González, head of the Vatican’s Protocol Office. He was then escorted by the Pontifical Swiss Guard to the pope’s office, where the two held a private meeting lasting about 30 minutes.
President Aoun subsequently met with Parolin and Gallagher, with discussions focusing on developments in Lebanon, as well as the Israeli enemy’s repeated attacks on Lebanese villages, infrastructure, and civilians.
During both meetings, Aoun thanked the Holy See for its efforts to support Lebanon, particularly since the pope’s most recent visit to the country. He also briefed the Vatican officials on Lebanon’s political, economic, and living conditions and developments over the past period.
Lebanon’s Aoun called on Pope Leo XIV and senior Vatican officials to continue their diplomatic efforts across international forums to advance Lebanon’s demands, particularly by pressing “Israel” to implement the provisions of the framework agreement signed under US auspices on June 26 and to halt its daily attacks, particularly those targeting civilians, civilian facilities, infrastructure, and villages in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese president also urged the pope to support Lebanon’s efforts to secure a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory, paving the way for the reconstruction of areas destroyed by the Israeli enemy and the return of displaced residents to their homes and villages.
Aoun stressed that these steps must be accompanied by the Lebanese state extending its authority across the entirety of its territory and assuming exclusive control over decisions of war and peace, which he described as the only path to security and stability along the border.
At the meeting, Aoun presented Pope Leo XIV with a bust of Blessed Patriarch Elias Howayek containing his relics.