Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona, Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and throughout the world, presided over a solemn Mass during his visit to Lebanon. The celebration was attended by Lebanon’s Minister of Information, Dr. Paul Morcos, representing the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, as well as Syriac Catholic Patriarch Mar Ignatius Joseph III Younan and Bishop Michel Kassarji, Head of the Chaldean Community in Lebanon. The liturgy was concelebrated by numerous bishops and representatives of the Armenian Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Catholic, Melkite Greek Catholic, and Greek Orthodox Churches, together with clergy, religious superiors, representatives of the Middle East Council of Churches, Caritas Lebanon, and other ecclesiastical institutions. The Divine Liturgy was assisted by Episcopal Vicar Chorbishop Raphael Trabelsi, alongside Fathers Nabil Al-Danno and Karam Shamasha, and was attended by a large congregation that filled St. Raphael Cathedral in Baabda–Brazilia. During the celebration, Bishop Michel Kassarji welcomed Patriarch Nona and praised his efforts in strengthening the Chaldean presence in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East. In his homily, Patriarch Nona reflected on the Christian response to evil, emphasizing that humanity has long struggled to eliminate evil without success. Rather than focusing on identifying the causes of wars, conflicts, or political interests, he urged Christians to dedicate their efforts to responding to the suffering caused by evil with faith, compassion, and responsibility. He noted that wars bring death, displacement, hardship, and widespread social and economic consequences, and stressed that Christians are called not to be driven by emotions or unproven claims but to confront evil in ways that are faithful to the Gospel and grounded in human dignity. As children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ, he concluded, Christians are called to oppose evil and reveal God’s presence through their actions.
العربية