► Forum on "The Pope Benedict XVI's Visit to Lebanon"
Rev. Habib Badr participated in a forum on the Pope’s visit to Lebanon. The forum was held at St. Joseph University, Social Science Department, on Wednesday 31st of Oct., 2012. The speakers presented non-Catholic views concerning the Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Lebanon, last September.
The participants, beside Rev. Badr, were notable guests: Dr. Ibrahim Shams El-din (president of the Imam Shams El-din Foundation for Dialogue), Metropolitan George Saliba (Syrian Orthodox Archbishop of Mount Lebanon), sheikh Khaldoun Araimet (secretary general of the Supreme Judicial Islamic Council), sheikh Aamer Zen El-din (media consultant and social activist), Mr. Fouad Daaboul (managing editor of Al-Anwar Lebanese newspaper) and the moderator was Prof. George Khadige (director of the Center for Human Rights Studies in the Arab World, CEDROMA).
All speakers considered the Pope’s visit a significant contribution for the relations between all Lebanese religious and social components.
Rev. Badr concentrated in his word on the purpose of the visit, i.e., to hand the Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in Medio Oriente" to the Catholic Church in the Orient. The Apostolic Exhortation was documented and elaborated by Benedict XVI, based on the forty-four final propositions of the special Synod for the Middle East, which was held in Vatican City from 10 to 26 October 2010 with the theme: "The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness”.
However, Rev. Badr maintained that Protestant churches were, unintentionally, not represented in some stages of the event.
At the end of the presentations some questions were asked by the audience and a celebration concluded the forum.
