Lebanon faced a political crisis after the expiration of the president’s term without a replacement.

“Lebanon right now is suffering,” Pope Francis said during his in-flight press conference as he returned from Bahrain. “I pray, and I take this opportunity to make an appeal to Lebanese politicians: leave aside self-interest, look at the country and be in agreement.”

Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, the Patriarch of the Maronite Church, warned that “Lebanon is going through the most dangerous phase of its political and economic history. We hope that they [lawmakers] will listen to the [papal] appeal.”