Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday appointed Maronite Archbishop of Beirut Boulos Matar to a Vatican department aimed at countering growing secularization. The Vatican said Matar and the Archbishop of Jos in central Nigeria, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, would be joining the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. Despite the raging conflict in Syria, which has also raised tensions within Lebanon, the pope is expected to visit Beirut on September 14-16 with a message calling for peaceful coexistence between religions in the region.