Pope Leo has called for “coexistence” during the second day of his visit to Lebanon, gathering clerics from across the religious spectrum on both sides of a former civil war dividing line, and appealing for unity in a region fractured by violence.Standing in Martyrs’ Square on Monday, a site that once marked the “green line” dividing Muslim west and Christian east Beirut during the 1975–90 civil war, Leo said Lebanon showed that “fear, distrust and prejudice do not have the final word”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“In an age when coexistence can seem like a distant dream, the people of Lebanon, while embracing different religions, stand as a powerful reminder that … unity, reconciliation, and peace are possible,” he said.“May every bell toll; every adhan, every call to prayer blend into a single, soaring hymn,” he added, using the Arabic term for the Muslim call to prayer.Martyrs’ Square – home to a monument honouring those who died for Lebanon’s independence, and later a focal point of mass protests demanding political change – has long symbolised the country’s struggle to overcome sectarianism.Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, said the location showed the contrast between the image of interfaith unity amid Lebanon’s entrenched politics.“Religious leaders coming together under one tent look like they are speaking with one voice, but the reality is, this is …
