“The innocent man will flourish as the palm-tree flourishes; he will grow to greatness as the cedars grow on Lebanon.” (Psalm 91:13)
After an exchange of greetings, I sit down with Most Reverend Abbot Hady Mahfouz and Fr Fadi Kmeid, attended by the smiling face of Pope Francis hanging on the wall above and by servings of Lebanese coffee. Only after our conversations ended, would I later come to an understanding of how symbolic and appropriate such an introductory setting was.
Having not managed to travel to Lebanon yet despite my deepest desires, I do a poor job of concealing my pre-existing armchair libanophilia while both of my hosts quickly provide more than enough to further fascinate and endear the place to me. The Levantine nation is as sui generis as they come.
