Vatican City (AsiaNews) – “Urgent pacific solutions” for the Middle East must be found, especially for Lebanon. Voicing agreement with the concerns expressed by the Maronite Patriarch, Nasrallah Sfeir, Benedict XVI today reminded the international community once again of its responsibilities and of the need to commit itself to peace. He also drew the attention of Lebanese political elements to their duty to “have at heart exclusively the good of the country and harmony among its communities”. In this Sunday of Advent, around 40,000 people gathered for the recital of the Angelus in St Peter’s Square, where structures have already been set up in anticipation of the arrival of the Christmas tree and for the construction of the crib. Addressing the crowd, the pope also talked about this period, in which one should strive to “build the ‘dwelling of God among men’.”

After reciting the Marian prayer, the pope said: “I am following, with intense concern, what is happening in the Middle East, where glimmers of a solution to crises tormenting the region alternate with tensions and difficulties that give rise to fears of further violence. Lebanon deserves special mention. On its soil, today as yesterday, ‘people different on cultural and religious levels’ are called ‘to live together, to build a nation of dialogue and coexistence and to contribute to the common good’ (post-Synodal apostolic exhortation, A new hope for Lebanon, n.119). Thus, in the face of recent developments, I share the strong apprehensions expressed by the Patriarch, His Beatitude Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir and by Maronite bishops, in their statement published on Wednesday last. Together with them, I call on the Lebanese people and their political leaders to have at heart exclusively the good of the country and harmony among its communities, inspiring their commitment to the unity that is the responsibility of each and every one and requires patient and persevering efforts, together with trusting and lasting dialogue (cfr ibid n.120). I also hope that the international community will help to identify urgent pacific and fair solutions necessary for Lebanon and the entire Middle East, while I invite all to prayer during this grave time.”

Before the Angelus, Benedict talked to those present about an inauguration he carried out this morning, of the new church of Santa Maria, Star of Evangelization, on the southern outskirts of Rome, “an event that, although it pertains to that neighbourhood, acquires a symbolic significance in the liturgical time of Advent, as we prepare to celebrate the Christmas of the Lord. In these days, the liturgy constantly reminds us that ‘God comes’, to visit his people, to dwell amongst mankind and to form a communion of love and of life with them, that is, a family.” This morning, during the “dedication” of the new church, the first undertaken by this pope, Benedict XVI described a new church as “a building in which God and man desire to meet; a place that brings us together, in which one is drawn to God”. He continued: “Particularly in our social context that is widely secularized, the parish is a lighthouse that radiates the light of faith and thus fulfils the deepest and truest desires of the heart of man, giving meaning and hope to the lives of people and families.”

Taking inspiration from the bible narrative about the rebuilding of the people of Israel after return from exile, he highlighted the reality that “after the great optimism of repatriation, the people saw a desert country before them. How to rebuild it? External reconstruction cannot progress unless the people themselves are rebuilt first as a people – unless common criteria for legality and justice are established that unite all and regulate the life and actions of each one. The returnees need, so to speak, a ‘constitution’, a fundamental law for their lives. And they know that this constitution, that should definitively bring justice, cannot be the fruit of their own invention. True justice cannot be invented by man: rather it must be discovered. It must come from God. The Word of God rebuilds the city.”

The pope continued: “Church buildings exist so that the Word of God may be listened to, explained and understood among us; they exist especially so that the feast may begin, which God wants mankind to join not only at the end of time, but from this very moment. They exist so that knowledge of what is just and good may be awakened in us. They exist so that we may learn to live the joy of the Lord that is our strength. We pray to the Lord that he may make us proud of his word and make us proud of our faith, so that this joy may renew us and the world!”