Francis also recalled, during his greetings to Arabic-speaking faithful, that a year ago, on 10 October 2012, following his trip to Lebanon and his apostolic exhortation “Ecclesia in Medio Oriente: Communion and witness”, his predecessor Benedict XVI included Arabic among the languages of the general audience. The Synod Fathers had asked for this “to show to all Christians in the Middle East the closeness of the Catholic Church to its eastern sons”. “And today, talking about this expression, ‚I believe in the Catholic Church‘”, he added, “I ask you to pray for peace in the Middle East: in Syria, in Iraq, in Egypt, in Lebanon and in the Holy Land, where the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, was born. Pray that the light of Christ reaches all hearts and all places, unto the ends of the earth”.