Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi met on Wednesday Pope Francis I with whom he took part in the daily mass held at the Vatican. The patriarch then held a closed-door meeting with the pontiff during which he requested that he offer his blessing to Lebanon and the Middle East. He hoped that he would also pray for its people and that “God would answer the prayers of the pontiff in the church and the world.” Al-Rahi is scheduled to remain in Rome to attend a three-day conference on immigrants and the displaced. [Link]