Pope makes peace appeal at Beirut open-air Mass

Many Christians in the Middle East are uneasy at the Arab Spring, which has led to the strengthening of Islamist groups in most countries that have experienced uprisings.

Nawaf al-Moussawi, a representative of the Shiite Islamist militant group Hezbollah who attended the Mass, told Lebanon’s leading LBC TV: “Our message is that we want to work together for a Middle East and a region where religions and sects live on the basis of justice that lead to peace.

“What we complain about in the region today is that we are suffering from the injustice of colonial policies,” Mr. al-Moussawi added in an apparent reference to U.S. policies. “We only see its fleets.” Hezbollah is allied with Syria, which blames an alleged Western and Arab conspiracy for its woes.

The U.S. considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization. Father Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, declined to say what the Vatican’s position is on the group.

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