Salim F. Dahdah

Your Holiness, You kindly chose this country of the Levant as your first destination after your election as head of the Catholic Church. We thank you for that! Your presence here resembled the shadow of a white cloud gliding through a dark sky that has been overcast for far too long, letting its light shine upon this geographical space described in history books as the land of milk and honey, the land of hospitality and conviviality, the land of the eternal Cedar—majestic, strong, and unwavering. A land of encounter and exchange among cultures and diverse communities; a land of life, love, and peace, regularly attacked and often violated.