Buenos Aires, December 7 (NA) -- After concluding his first apostolic trip to Turkey and Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV shared his impressions following the Marian Angelus prayer, sending a message of hope and reconciliation to the world.
The Pontiff, as learned from the Argentine News Agency, emphasized that "peace is possible," that Christians can build it together with people of other religions, and that the unity of the Church "remains a living commitment," recalling the 60th anniversary of the historic Joint Declaration between Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras.
Reviewing the most symbolic moments of his trip in Turkey, Leo XIV highlighted the joint prayer in Iznik, ancient Nicaea, with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and representatives of other Christian denominations.
His meeting with the families of the victims of the explosion in the port of Beirut particularly moved him.
"They were waiting for a word and a comforting presence, but it was they who comforted me with their faith and enthusiasm!" he recounted.
The Pope stressed that this experience demonstrates that peace is possible and that Christians, working alongside men and women of other religions and cultures, "can actively build it."
The Pontiff insisted that faith "is a bridge, not a wall, and that unity and reconciliation are concrete fruits that can be lived every day."
Finally, Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the peoples of South and Southeast Asia, severely affected by recent natural disasters.
"I pray for the victims, for the families who are mourning their loved ones, and for those who are providing aid. He also noted the vitality of the local Catholic community, which "through patient dialogue and service to the suffering, demonstrates that the Gospel is lived in simplicity and closeness to those most in need. I urge the international community and all people of good will to support with gestures of solidarity the brothers and sisters of those regions."
"It is the logic of God that manifests itself in smallness," the Pope pointed out.
The trip to Lebanon left a deep impression on Leo XIV, who described the country as a "mosaic of coexistence and solidarity." There, the Pontiff recalled the 1,700 years of the first Ecumenical Council and the anniversary of the Declaration that ended the reciprocal excommunications.
"Let us thank God and renew our commitment on the path to the full visible unity of all Christians," he affirmed.
