Siena:Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rai has called on members of the Maronite Church worldwide to unite in prayer for Pope Leo XIV, who is undergoing lung surgery.

According to National news agency - Lebanon, Al-Rai issued a statement through the Maronite Patriarchate's General Secretariat, urging bishops, priests, monks, nuns, and the faithful in Lebanon, across the patriarchal territory, and throughout the diaspora to pray for the pontiff.

The patriarch expressed hope for the surgery's success and for Pope Leo XIV's swift and complete recovery.