Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with 14 Middle East pontifical representatives in Jordan on Monday to discuss challenges in the region including ongoing hostilities there.

Parolin met with the papal representatives of Bahrain, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen.

According to a Jan. 13 statement from the Holy See, Parolin met with the religious leaders to discuss the current crises affecting the region, including the need for Christians to address the serious political and humanitarian situations affecting the countries’ populations.

“Hope was expressed that there would soon be a cessation of hostilities on all fronts and that the Middle East could be a land of peace,” the statement read.

“Christians remain an essential element of fraternal coexistence among the various religions and of the progress of the respective nations,” the statement continued.

Parolin’s meeting with the Middle East representatives comes days after his participation in the Jan. 10 consecration of the Church of the Baptism of Jesus at Al-Maghtas — the historic baptismal site of Our Lord also known as “Bethany Beyond the Jordan.”

During the Jan. 10 Mass celebration, Parolin reiterated Pope Francis’ desire for the whole Church to be closely united with Christian communities of the Middle East.

Vatican News reported the pope’s secretary of state also had a phone call with Lebanon’s new President-elect Joseph Aoun.

“His Eminence [Parolin] congratulated him on his election to the presidency of the republic and extended his best wishes, assuring him of his prayers,” Vatican News reported, quoting a Holy See Press Office statement.

Aoun, a Maronite Catholic, is the only Christian national leader in the Middle East region. Prior to his Jan. 9 election Lebanon had been without a president since October 2022.

In 2024, Pope Francis used his Dec. 1 Angelus address to invite Catholics to pray especially for peace for peoples in Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, and Syria, which have been impacted by political turmoil, violence, displacement, and inadequate access to humanitarian assistance.

During the Dec. 1 address, the pontiff also included an urgent plea for Lebanese authorities to elect a president “immediately” and promote the country’s role in the region to be an “example of peaceful coexistence between different religions” in the region.

By Kristina Millare / catholicnewsagency