Help end grim trail of death, the Pope urges pilgrims
“I appeal to you all to be peacemakers,” the Pope said.
Benedict spoke from an altar built on land reclaimed with debris from Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, pressing ahead with his call for peace and reconciliation between Christians and Muslims.
He said that justice and peace are needed in building “a fraternal society, for building fellowship”.
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Hide AdHelicopters flew overhead and soldiers set up roadblocks and patrolled streets in central Beirut.
The crowd cheered and waved tiny Vatican and Lebanese flags as Benedict arrived in his bullet-proof popemobile at the Mass site on the Beirut waterfront.
Benedict has been appealing for tolerance and religious freedom.
At a meeting with young people on Saturday evening, the Pope said he admired the courage of Syrian youth and that he did not forget their suffering.
The papal visit comes amid soaring sectarian tensions in the region, exacerbated by the conflict in Syria, which is in the throes of an 18-month-old civil war.