The Vatican's Secretary of State has urged Lebanon to elect a President, after two years of deadlock between pro- and anti-Hezbollah factions in the country's parliament.

Cardinal Parolin's meeting with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister took place at the Vatican yesterday - following Najib Mikati's earlier meeting with Pope Francis.

According to a press release by the Holy See, the meeting focused on the good diplomatic relations that exist between the Holy See and Lebanon, as well as the importance of the contribution of the Catholic Church and the Christian component to the good of Lebanon.

It added that after the ceasefire with Israel in the south of the country, '"the hope was reiterated that the peaceful coexistence of different religions would continue to characterize Lebanon’s identity and be of support to peace in the Middle East". 

The traditional exchange of gifts marked the conclusion of Mr Mikati's audience with the Pope. Francis presented him with a bronze statue representing his teaching, "Let us not forget that in both family and social culture, the elderly are like the roots of a tree: they have all the history there, and the young are like the flowers and the fruit".

Mr Mikati presented Pope Francis with an icon of the Nativity created by a priest from Antonine University.