Outgoing Apostolic Nuncio, Gabriele Caccia, said on Saturday that he "found faith in Lebanon" and "felt strengthened by thriving in the land of the Cedars."
Mgr. Caccia's words came as he presided over Thanksgiving Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, following his new appointment by Pope Francis as Apostolic Nuncio in the Philippines.
"My mission began with prayer for God to bless this country," he said thanking the Lebanese authorities for the support they showed him during his eight years in Lebanon.
"I prayed that this unity among Christians would be stronger and more effective," Caccia went on.
"It is the desire of the Lord Jesus to be as one... that every woman and man be as one in Christ, for the Church is a rainbow. When Pope Benedict visited Lebanon and gave us the Apostolic Exhortation of the Church in the Middle East, we gathered altogether in the heart of Beirut... and from the four corners of the city, we came together in prayer," added Caccia.
He raised prayers to Virgin Mary to "protect this country, strengthen its people and bring them together to achieve unity."
"Lady of Lebanon, pray for us," concluded Caccia in Arabic.
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