Pope Benedict XVI Prepares To Go To Lebanon Amidst Conflict In Syria

Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful during the Angelus prayer in his summer residence of Castelgandolfo, near Rome, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI embarks Friday (Sept. 14) on a high-risk trip to Lebanon, as the country's stability is threatened by spillover from the conflict in neighboring Syria.
The three-day visit is also the pope's first foray into the Middle East after the Arab Spring, giving him the opportunity to reassure the region's Christian minorities who fear the recent rise to power of Islamist leaders in the region...
..."There's never been a (papal) trip in such a dramatic situation," said the Rev. Paolo Dall'Oglio, a Catholic priest recently expelled from Syria after three decades in the country for his support of the rebels.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, attempted to dispel fears that the trip might be canceled. But Lombardi admitted that the decision to go ahead with the Lebanon trip despite growing tensions is "an act of great courage" for the 85-year old pontiff...Read here...