A Lebanese woman hugs a portrait of Pope Benedict XVI, as she awaits with other faithful his arrival at the Lebanese presidential palace, in Baabda east of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday Sept. 15, 2012. Pope Benedict XVI has appealed for religious freedom in the Middle East, calling it fundamental for stability in a region bloodied by sectarian strife. The visit brings the pope to the nation with the largest percentage of Christians in the Mideast — nearly 40 percent of Lebanon's 4 million people, with Maronite Catholics the largest sect. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)