Lebanese Religious leaders propose periodic interreligious summits

The Christian and Muslim religious leaders have condemned ‘terrorism coated with the mask of religion’ in a unanimous manner at  an interreligious summit which took place at the Maronite patriarchal seat in Bkerke on Monday, March 30.   All the Christian and Muslim leaders in the country, except for the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch Yohanna X participated in this event.

Unanimous support and unconditional love to the armed forces, appeal for an end to the vacancy in the president's office, condemnation of masked terrorism in religious matters and the announcement of periodic interreligious summits, to be held every three months to consider together the dramatic political and social situation prevailing in the Country of the Cedars were the  main contents which emerged during the said interreligious.

The final statement of the summit, sent to Agenzia Fides, expresses "deep concern" regarding the vacancy in the president's office, which in the eyes of  religious community leaders continues to be "a threat to Lebanon's sovereignty, security and stability" and endangers even its constitutional structure. The long period of institutional paralysis around the election of the new president - the presidential office has been vacant since May 25 - according to the religious leaders threatens the survival of the Country, exposing its fragile balance conflicts and sectarian rifts that are distorting the Middle East scenario.

"The election of a Maronite Christian president", reads the statement of the Christian and Muslim spiritual leaders, "is the guarantee of the continuity of life in society and therefore of Lebanon". The final communiqué of the summit devotes ample space to the economic and social emergencies that are stifling the population, focusing on the problems associated with the unsustainable influx of Syrian and Iraqis refugees in Lebanon. The international community is called to "spend more" to address the "inhuman conditions" experienced by refugees, noting that the endurance of Lebanon is limited "in space and time".

The religious leaders have also condemned "terrorism coated with the mask of religion" in a unanimous manner that is destabilizing large areas of the Middle East and appears functional to the fragmentation plans on sectarian basis of individual Middle Eastern States. In particular, the final communique indicated Eastern Christians as the first victims of the waves of violence that disrupt the region, stressing that in the Middle East Christians are not "guests" and the Christian presence preceded the Muslim hundreds of years, giving a decisive contribution to the flowering of Arab civilization.

The statement recalls the Solemnity of the Annunciation, that has become a national holiday in Lebanon and is defined as "the first Islamic-Christian celebration of history". Moreover, in the text approved by all religious leaders, the institutionalization of interreligious-Lebanese summit was approved, with regular meetings to be held every three months. (Fides)