First Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists were bombed out of their military fortification in Lebanon; now they are losing political influence over the country. As Iran’s power vanishes, the Vatican is helping install new political leadership.

Years of deadlock ended on January 9 when the Lebanese Parliament elected Joseph Aoun president after 12 failed attempts. Lina Khatib of Britain’s Chatham House think tank said it was “the first time since the end of the Lebanese civil war (in 1990) that a Lebanese president is elected without prior approval by Iran and by the ousted Syrian regime.” And the signs of Iran’s waning influence in the political future of the country didn’t end there.

Next, Aoun designated Nawaf Salam as Lebanon’s new prime minister. Salam has experience as a diplomat and president of the International Court of Justice (icj) based in The Hague. As with Aoun, Hezbollah’s attempts to block Salam from coming to power failed.

It is obvious to many that Iran’s spiritual guidance is vanishing in Lebanon. But few realize that another powerful religious force is moving in.

Under the Guidance of the Vatican

In his Dec. 1, 2024, address, Pope Francis stated: “I address an urgent call to all Lebanese politicians, so that the president of the republic may be elected immediately and the institutions return to their normal functioning, so as to proceed to the necessary reforms and assure the country of its role as an example of peaceful coexistence between different religions.”

A little more than a month later, that call was heeded.

This was not the first time the pope tried to intervene, however. On April 21, 2021, he met with then Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri to discuss Lebanon’s political crisis. Following the meeting, Hariri claimed that the pope “was aware of the current problems in Lebanon and was understanding and encouraging that we can form a government. He also expressed his keenness to visit Lebanon, but only after the government is formed. This is a message to the Lebanese that we must form a government so that all powers and countries come together to help us.”

He also noted: “The Vatican knows very well who is and who is not obstructing the government formation process.”

For years the Vatican urged Lebanon to find a new government knowing that Iran’s influence in the country would have to wane for it to happen.

Vatican officials are now delighted.

While in Jordan for a meeting with 14 pontifical representatives from the Middle East, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin congratulated Aoun in a January 13 phone call, extending “his best wishes, assuring him of his prayers,” Vatican News reported, quoting a Vatican statement. He also expressed his pleasure in “the prompt appointment of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam earlier today,” the statement reads.

It appears the Vatican got the political leadership in Lebanon that it wanted.

But could it be that the Vatican directly guided the appointments?

Parolin’s statements indicate just that. During his visit to Lebanon in June, Parolin noted: “The Lebanese crisis is an all-round crisis. Certainly there, we will also try to work a little, as the [Vatican’s] diplomacy has always done, to help find an institutional solution.”

This is not surprising given that Lebanon has the largest percentage of Christians, including approximately 1 million Maronite Catholics, in the Middle East and it is the only Arab country with a Christian as the head of state.

A Key Country to Watch

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has called Lebanon “a linchpin for a biblically prophesied end-time alliance.” Its “heavy Christian population makes Lebanon different from the rest of the Arab world,” he wrote.

For years, Mr. Flurry has pointed to a prophesied alliance in Psalm 83 and foretold dramatic change in the Middle East. For example, at the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2012, he prophesied that Syria would break away from Iran and ally with Germany. Over the last two months we have seen this decade-old specific prophecy fulfilled, as Mr. Flurry explained in “Syria’s Fall: Another Key Prophecy Fulfilled.”

He has made a similar predication for Lebanon, specifically pointing to the Catholic Church as playing a key role in this country. To learn more, read “The Fall and Rise of Lebanon.”