Aoun: The selection of the Shrine of Saint Charbel among the world’s shrines affirms Lebanon’s spiritual symbolism and sends a message of support amid crises

President General Joseph Aoun welcomed the decision by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to include the shrine of Saint Charbel at the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya among the world’s shrines, alongside the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, the Shrine of the Virgin in Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Shrine of the Holy House in Loreto, Italy, to join His Holiness in the recitation of the Rosary from the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens, with which he will conclude this evening the month of May, which the Church dedicates each year to the Virgin Mary.

Thanking Pope Leo for choosing the Shrine of Saint Charbel in Annaya among the world’s shrines, President Aoun said: "Lebanese of all sects, whether residents or members of the diaspora, still hold in their hearts and consciences the first apostolic visit with which you honored Lebanon last winter. They continue to raise the prayer to Saint Charbel that you wrote and recited before his tomb, and they also remember the calls for peace that you addressed for Lebanon, especially in the painful circumstances they are currently enduring."

The President added: "That His Holiness has chosen to preside over the Rosary prayer for the victims of wars, the suffering, the displaced, and those working in the medical and nursing sectors, as well as relief volunteers who provide humanitarian assistance daily, and for the establishment of lasting peace in the world and in Lebanon, is proof of the extent of the Holy See’s concern for Lebanon and for countries suffering from wars around the world.