Pope Benedict XVI meets Hezbollah MPs while visiting Lebanon's political leaders Among its supporters is Michel Aoun, the former prime minister and army commander who is seen as a leader by many of the Christian Maronites in Lebanon's multi-faith society. The Holy Father's visit comes as the region struggles to cope with the physical violence and the political, economic and humanitarian fallout of the Syrian civil war. His speeches have thus far skirted wide of taking a political position on that divisive issue. Whilst some Christians in Lebanon support the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al Assad, those aligned with Hezbollah strongly defend his continued rule. "Lebanon is called, now more than ever, to be an example," the Pope said, inviting his audience "to testify with courage, in season and out of season, wherever you find yourselves, that God wants peace, that God entrusts peace to us." On Friday he called for an end to the supplying of arms to Syria. A day earlier US Treasury officials imposed sanctions on the leader of Hezbollah and two other members for allegedly aiding the Syrian government in its fight against opposition forces. Pope Benedict has worked hard to heal the rifts caused between the Vatican and the Muslim world, exacerbated by his address in Germany in 2006 in which he quoted a line of Byzantine hostility to the Prophet Mohammad. He has since sought to highlight similarities between the two faiths and has often included visits to mosques on subsequent trips.