Lebanon’s prime minister designate Saad Hariri met with Pope Francis last week and requested the Pope’s help to save Lebanon from total collapse, whilst hitting out at Lebanon’s Maronite Christian President.
“I explained to His Holiness Pope Francis the problems we are suffering from and asked His Holiness for help. His Holiness the Pope is keen on coexistence in Lebanon, and he views the Lebanese as one body,” Hariri said.
The private 30-minute audience at the Vatican between Hariri and Francis comes at a critical time for Lebanon, which is in the midst of a debilitating economic and political crisis that is posing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war.
Since being nominated premier last October, Hariri has failed to form a government after disagreeing with President Michel Aoun over the number of seats in cabinet. French President Emmanuel Macron has demanded an 18-member cabinet of nonpartisan specialists to implement overdue reforms.
After meeting with Francis, Hariri spoke of the stalled cabinet formation process, taking a swipe at Aoun: “The French initiative is still in place, and I think that the Vatican knows more than everyone the root of the problem in Lebanon.”
Due to Lebanon’s sectarian power sharing system, the president must be a Maronite Catholic, with the prime minister a Sunni Muslim. However, the division is not without complications and Hariri has accused Aoun of demanding veto power for his Maronite Christian party, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).
FPM politician Edy Maalouf told The Tablet that it is good to see the Pope meet different leaders from Lebanon “especially if they are Muslim,” but claimed the Vatican does not share Hariri’s opinion on the governmental crisis.
“It is good that Mr Hariri went to the Vatican, but the speech he made after the meeting with the Pope was a little bit, how can we say, a little bit, bizarre” Maalouf said, whilst adding that Hariri “made an attack” on Aoun.
Lebanon, the only Arab country with a Christian head of state, is engulfed in a crippling economic depression caused by decades of state corruption and negligence. The local currency has lost 90 per cent of its value since 2019, and forced over half of the country’s 6 million people into poverty and unemployment.
Over the last few months, Hariri has been making various international trips to garner support. But critics, including the FPM, have accused him of wasting time. At the Vatican Hariri addressed the criticism, saying his tours are “for work and research on how to help Lebanon.”
The director of the Holy See press office, Matteo Bruni commented after the meeting that the Pope reaffirmed his admiration for the people of Lebanon, “who are experiencing a moment of great difficulty and uncertainty.”
He said the Holy See called on “all political forces to urgently commit themselves to the benefit of the nation.”
Hariri confirmed the Pope will visit Lebanon, but only once a government has been formed. Maalouf said this was a sensible move by Francis. “When he comes to Lebanon, he doesn’t want to appear that he is with one side or another side.”