Al-Rahi Meets Yaziji: We Reject Any Foreign Intervention in Syria, Demand Peaceful Solution
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Youhanna X al-Yaziji on Sunday rejected the anticipated military strike on Syria, demanding a peaceful solution to the crisis.
“We do not support violent solutions in Syria and we demand diplomatic methods because no one has the right to terminate the life of any human,” al-Rahi said after meeting al-Yaziji at the Balamand Monastery in northern Lebanon.
“The huge tragedy in Syria is unacceptable at the humanitarian and moral levels, that's why we demand that the conflict be resolved through diplomatic and peaceful means,” he added.
Al-Rahi also demanded the release of bishops Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos al-Yaziji, who were abducted near Syria's Aleppo.
"We are against any foreign intervention through weapons and war in Syria or elsewhere," he went on to say.
"We need the rhetoric of peace and we need to put out the grudges. We have been living together as citizens in the Arab countries and the Levant since 1,400 years and we have built a sort of democracy and we don't want the war to eradicate what we built throughout 1,400 years," the patriarch added.
"We are proud that our Christian identity in Syria and the Levant contains components of the Islamic identity and the Islamic identity contains something of the Christian identity and we don't want any foreign culture to obstruct our coexistence," he said, adding that "we are advocates of peace, love and dialogue everywhere and no one can usurp the freedom of others."
Earlier on Sunday, al-Rahi held officials responsible for the deadly bombings that have recently rocked Beirut's southern suburbs and the northern city of Tripoli.
“Political parties don't value the heavy price payed by innocent citizens in the three bombings,” al-Rahi said in his sermon at his summer residence in Diman.
Politicians “haven’t yet realized that they are responsible for the victims over their prolonged conflict and their obstruction of the work of constitutional institutions,” he said.
Two separate car bomb blasts have recently rocked Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hizbullah stronghold, while two similar consecutive bombings have targeted mosques in Tripoli, leaving hundreds of casualties.
The politicians "only condemned, condoled and accused the other,” he mocked.
“Had they taken bold and responsible moves towards political and sectarian reconciliation ... and security measures that would stop arms proliferation and self-security, the relatives of the victims would have received some consolation,” al-Rahi said.
Al-Rahi also criticized politicians for not coming up with a “real initiative” to resolve the cabinet formation crisis.
He reiterated that the new government should be strong and capable of protecting citizens, imposing security and controlling arms proliferated across the country.
Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam has so far been unable to form his cabinet over conditions and counter-conditions set by the bickering March 8 and 14 camps.
01 September 2013, 12:58
105
This guy is really irritating! Stop avoiding the real issues and problems of this country. Are you telling us if all the political parties inter-married and loved each other, but HA continued its illegal activities and its war in Syria, then there will be no car bombs! That there will be political stability and economic growth.... boring indeed!
02 September 2013, 04:59
02
The only sultion to Hitler problem is to eliminate the Hitler agenda. Its agenda that brought to us from Al Saudi who spent in recent history the following
1. 10 years of financing Saddam to fight Iran
2. Financing all the terrorist in Iraq to kill Shiaa.
3. Bringing USA cowboys to kill Saddam.
4. Inciting terror and financing it in Syria
On the other hand, I saw Iran doing... nothing criminal
01 September 2013, 13:17
510
Firstly he is my Patriarch and the head of the Maronite Catholic Church, so "justice" and "viperbite" show some damn respect. He knows more then you ever will.
01 September 2013, 13:27
84
Dear Cedar: In no way, I am attacking the Patriarch or his position as head of the Maronite Church. He is making political speeches and as such I am criticizing those stances. I am Christian as well, so relax!
01 September 2013, 13:43
49
He is doing the same as Jesus by telling off the politicians. Its his job to make political speeches just as the Messiah Jesus christ did - even if he gets assassinated for doing so.
01 September 2013, 17:00
73
I'm disgusted by the comparison between Jesus our Lord and patriarch Rahi.... Speechless.
01 September 2013, 19:33
62
Educate urself tiny brain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_Nazi_Germany
01 September 2013, 19:39
11
Everyone has a right to an opinion Cedar. Yesterday, Al Azhar condemned possible military intervention in Syria - and I'm a Sunni strongly in disagreement with their perspective.
The Patriarch and the Mufti need to stick to keeping the faithful peaceful in Lebanon and out of others' issues.
02 September 2013, 05:09
00
We lived together in Lebanon when 55 or 60% percent of the gov was christian, the day taef accord removed the president authority is the day when the Lebanese gov became religious and everyone started the rope towards their side. Iran will not cease supporting the Shia and ksa will do the same for Sunnis, what you religious leaders must do is bring the Christian back together same as Jesus brought his disciples around him so that they are united. I hate to break it down to you but you failed your role as the politicians drifted and looked after their pockets and political affiliation first before the church. On Syria, Christian same as Sunnis lived under a non-democracy from Hafez to Bachar otherwise they disappeared or found killed on the edge of roads after the moukhabarat took care of business the mafioso way. These are the fact of the last 30 yrs.
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