Priest warns of risk in pope’s visit to Lebanon

The pope’s safety could be at risk during a planned visit to Lebanon next month, a Jesuit priest who was recently forced to leave Syria has warned Wednesday. Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit Lebanon from Sept. 14-16 to bring a message of peace and call for greater respect for religious pluralism. Even though his special protective car – the “popemobile” – has been sent to Beirut, questions are already being asked about the safety of a trip to a country that has been affected by the raging conflict in Syria. The pope “must ask for help from a secret service that can guarantee his security. Because the Lebanese services are not sufficient in this situation,” Father Paolo Dall’Oglio warned. Lebanon’s Sunni communities largely oppose Syrian President Bashar Assad, while its Alawites, who belong to the same minority as the Syrian leader, are pro-Damascus. Deadly clashes between the two groups claimed the lives of at least 12 during fighting that broke out in north Lebanon this week. Dall’Oglio was expelled from Syria in June over his activism. He added that Lebanon is fraught with risk because the current Lebanese government “is in some ways still tied to the Syrian regime.” Christians and Muslims pray side-by-side at an ancient Syrian monastery that Dall’Oglio restored, and the priest has been a constant voice calling for a democratic solution to the Syrian crisis. The priest said he hoped the pope would show that Christians “support human rights, are for civil emancipation and have taken a historic stance against political corruption.” “They must be sincere partners with Muslims in the construction of a brotherly and non-discriminatory Middle East,” he added.