On January 2, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I held a meeting with Papal Envoy Bishop Paolo Borgia in Lebanon. Marked by warm and symbolic exchanges, the meeting highlighted the importance of ongoing collaboration between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Vatican. Amid Lebanon’s political uncertainty, this encounter carried significant weight.
The papal envoy conveyed New Year and Christmas greetings from Pope Francis to the Catholicos, accompanied by a personal letter. This message reaffirmed the Vatican’s commitment to supporting interfaith dialogue and addressing issues of national importance in Lebanon. The primary topic of discussion was the upcoming presidential elections in Lebanon, scheduled for January 9.
The prolonged vacancy of the presidential office has deepened political instability and economic challenges in the country. Lebanon’s unique confessional political system, which reserves the presidency for a Maronite Christian (Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church), makes the election particularly significant for Christian communities and the region’s broader dynamics.
