Pope urges Lebanon to elect a new president immediately

Pope Francis called on Lebanese politicians on Sunday to urgently elect a new president, to get the country's governing institutions functioning again.

"I address an urgent invitation to all Lebanese politicians to elect the president of the republic immediately," the pontiff said at Saint Peter's Square at the end of Sunday Angelus prayer.

Lebanon's institutions need to "start functioning normally again to undertake the necessary reforms and sustain the country's role as an example of peaceful cohabitation between different religions", Francis said.

Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri has called a presidential election for January 9 in a bid to end a two-year leadership vacuum.

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022.

Neither of the two main blocs in parliament -- the Iran-backed Hezbollah and its opponents -- have the majority required to elect a head of state and they have been unable to agree on a consensus candidate.