Report: Vatican Says Lebanon's Maronites 'Lost their Minds' over Pursuit of Power

The Vatican has expressed its disappointment and anger with Maronites in Lebanon given the ongoing failure to elect a president, saying that they have become embroiled in Sunni-Shiite disputes rather than cater to their own interests, reported As Safir newspaper on Friday.

Circles from the Vatican told the daily: “The Maronites' obsession with the pursuit of power has made them lose their minds.”

“All Maronite officials in Lebanon are not seeking the interests of their sect,” especially in light of the dangers raging in the region, they added.

“The fragmentation of the Maronites and the Christians between the Sunnis and the Shiites will cost them their role in Lebanon and the region,” they warned.

Moreover, As Safir reported that Vatican officials “are fed up with the Maronites who are not seeing matters clearly.”

“The Maronites still retain control of major positions in Lebanon, such as the presidency and army command, but their spite and obsession with power has made them lose their minds,” they continued.

“The Maronites are not assuming their responsibilities and they have turned a deaf ear to advise, forcing the Vatican to refrain from proposing an initiative to end the dispute over the presidency,” explained the circles.

“There will be no initiative because the Maronite leaders refuse to listen,” they stressed.

In addition, they said that Lebanon's Christians should help bridge political divides in the country and the region, instead of taking sides.

“They should not be dragged into Sunni-Shiite strife and consequently forget themselves and the interests of their people and nation,” they stated.

“Such actions by the Maronites harm their role in the region and the Christians in the area as well,” noted the Vatican circles.

“What is the purpose of the Christians if they will only serve the plans of others?” they wondered.

“The Vatican's voice has gone hoarse from constantly repeating, since the end of the Lebanese civil war, the role of the Christians in the region,” they remarked.

“Why should the Maronites act as slaves of regional projects?” they asked.

“They are better off leaving the region if they cannot contribute to facilitating the functioning of state institutions,” they added.

The source of the Vatican's frustration is not limited to the failure to elect a new president, but to “the ongoing irresponsible Maronite practices on various levels and their blind bias to agendas that do not serve local ones, said the circles.

The solution to deadlock, according to the Vatican, lies in reaching a Christian agreement over a president who enjoys the support of all Lebanese figures.”

The president should enjoy strong representation at parliament and be capable of reaching an understanding among Christian and Muslim lawmakers, explained the circles.

Lebanon has been without a president since May when the term of Michel Suleiman ended.

The ongoing dispute between the rival March 8 and 14 alliances over a consensual president has prolonged the vacuum.

The Change and Reform bloc of Christian leader MP Michel Aoun, as well as the bloc of Hizbullah, has been boycotting the presidential elections sessions due to the dispute.

The MP has repeatedly said that he would be willing to run for the presidency if there is consensus over his nomination.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, a presidential candidate himself, has repeatedly accused Aoun and his bloc of obstructing the elections.