(14/04/2011) Transmitting the Gospel, strengthening communion with the universal Church, and commitment to peace. The words of the Pope today to His Beatitude Bechara Rai, the new Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, who was received today at the Vatican with bishops and the faithful. It was his first audience since his election. Benedict XVI reiterated the urgency of proclaiming the Gospel in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East, a visible witness and commitment to fraternal and universal Church. This region of the world where the patriarchs, prophets, Christ and the apostles lived and preached, aspires to the lasting peace that the Word of Truth, once accepted, can ensure. The Pope stressed the importance of genuine human and Christian formation, so that young people, families and all members of the Church contribute to the welfare of human society.