Sfeir tells politicians wars begin with words
Beirut (AsiaNews) – Remember that “wars begin with words”, said Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Cardinal Sfeir, in another address to Lebanese politicians, in particular those in the Christian community. Once again he urged them to be careful as to what they say because it might stir up people. Conversely, he praised the attitude of the army which interposed itself between opposite factions in recent demonstrations and “prevented a massacre”. He reiterated his call that only members of the armed forces be allowed to bear weapons.
For observers, the cardinal’s intervention, which came today at the start of Lent according to the calendar of the Eastern Churches, represents an invitation to Lebanese political leaders to take back the fate of the country.
The patriarch’s plea comes as Syrian President Assad’s visit to Tehran has lead to speculation, a visit designed to start a dialogue over international affairs, but one that marks a greater resolve by the Syrian president to resist the creation of an international tribunal with the power to rule on the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other recent assassinations in the country. This resolve explains why Assad is increasingly hostile to any solution to the ongoing Lebanese political crisis that involves the tribunal.
Significantly, a Hezbollah delegation travels to Tehran today.
For his part, the Maronite patriarch in his homily, which focused on Lent, warned against the country’s prevailing political style which contains “an exaggerated use of terms foreign to the culture and noble traditions that made our Lebanon a model for East and West.” For this reason, he urged national political leaders, in particular Christian leaders, to choose dialogue.
Asserting that “wars beginning with words,” the cardinal noted that it is as if the Lebanese people did not already “experience war and its associated catastrophes.”
“People would lead a quieter life if the weapons that appear here and there at various times were in the hands of the army, [n institution] which belongs to the whole country,” he said. Hence, he insisted, the “urgency to disarm everybody so that no one has weapons.”
In an address to political leaders, the patriarch said “special care should be given to the army; it should receive the equipment it needs to carry out its tasks in these dark days.”
Patriarch Sfeir, who presided over the ceremony of the blessing of the ashes in Bkerke which marks the start of Lent, urged all the faithful to understand the meaning of fasting, whose main goal is not to deprive oneself of food, but rather to help others through acts of solidarity, especially the poor.
Orthodox Christians also began observing Lent today according to the Julian Calendar. For some Lebanese this represents a sign that reconciliation among Christians is upon us.
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23/06/2005
