In his strongest comments yet on the conflict, Benedict branded the weapons imports as a "grave sin" as he arrived at the start of a three-day visit to Beirut, the Lebanese capital just 30 miles from the Syrian border.
He also described Arab uprisings as a positive "cry for freedom" as long as they included religious tolerance - the central theme of Benedict's trip which is focused on promoting peace in the Middle East and harmony between its minority Christians and majority Muslims.
Christian, Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim and Druze religious leaders joined Lebanon's political elite in greeting Benedict on his arrival in a region now rocked by violent protests against an American film that denigrates Islam.
All main faith groups in Lebanon, which was gripped by civil war along sectarian lines from 1975 to 1990, have welcomed his visit. Among banners greeting Benedict on the road from the airport were several from the militant Shi'ite group Hezbollah.
For his part, Assad - whose main arms supplier has been Russia - says he faces a "terrorist" campaign to overthrow him and has pledged to stamp it out. Neither side has shown any inclination to negotiate.
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About two-thirds of Lebanon's Christians are in full communion with the Vatican, either as members of the five local churches linked to Rome - the Maronites, the largest group, and the Greek Melkite, Armenian, Syriac and Chaldean Catholics - or of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church itself.
The rest belong to five Orthodox churches - the Greek, Armenian, Syriac, Assyrian and Coptic Orthodox - and small groups of Protestants, mostly Presbyterians and Anglicans.
Benedict will also hold two major open-air events and meet leaders of all Lebanon's many Christian and Islamic communities, as well as the country's political leaders, during his visit."
"In his speech to the nation's leaders, the pope did not refer specifically to any of the region's many past or present conflicts, including the current civil war in neighboring Syria, but noted that the "centuries-old mix" of cultures and religions in the Middle East has not always been peaceful.
Peace requires a pluralistic society based on "mutual respect, a desire to know the other, and continuous dialogue," the pope said, and such dialogue in turn depends on consciousness of sharing fundamental human values, cherished and sustained in common by different religions. Thus, he argued, "religious freedom is the basic right on which many rights depend."
The pope spoke after meeting privately with Lebanon's president and prime minister, the president of parliament, and leaders of the country's four major Muslim communities: Sunni, Shiite, Druze and Alawite. Lebanon's population is estimated to be about 60 percent Muslim and almost 40 percent Christian, with both groups divided into many smaller communities." CatholicNewsService
A chorus of teenagers at the airport serenaded the pope with hymns and chanted his name. Some held a sign written in English: "Have no fear, the pope is here." Outside the airport, a group of Muslim women and girls, entirely covered except for their eyes, also waited to welcome the pope."
AmericanCatholic.org
...and all the world wondered after the beast. Revelation 13:13
