Suleiman Meets Pope Benedict XVI at Vatican
Pope Benedict XVI met on Friday with President Michel Suleiman who is in Rome to attend the ceremony of the official appointment of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi as cardinal.
Suleiman did not make any statement after the meeting held at the Vatican.
The National News Agency said Suleiman will attend a ceremony hosted by the Lebanese Ambassador to the Vatican, George Khoury, at the Grand Hotel at 6:00 pm.
The president is expected to make a speech at the event, NNA said.
Suleiman is in Rome to attend a ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday during which Benedict would appoint six prelates, including al-Rahi, as cardinals.
They will join the elite body that advises the pope and elects his successor upon his death.
The consistory follows the death of several cardinals in recent months and will bring the number of those eligible to vote back up to the maximum of 120.
The pope's choice to elevate the head of the Maronite Church is seen by observers as a sign of Vatican support for religious diversity in Lebanon, which Benedict said was a "model" for the region during a visit in September.
The pope has called for peaceful coexistence between Islam and Christianity and has said Christians should stay in the Middle East despite rising Islamism.
Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
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