Al-Rahi Warns Religious Fundamentalism May 'Turn Spring into Winter'
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi hoped on Friday that officials in Lebanon would be inspired by the Bible to conduct their political practices in order to achieve a better society.
He said during the Epiphany mass: “They should not separate their duties from their responsibilities towards God, but instead strike a balance between their political practices and moral values.”
He criticized current political practices, which he said created corruption and an economic crisis.
Christians and Muslims in Lebanon are expected to maintain the Lebanese entity, which is not only built on demographic diversity, but the cultural diversity of these two religions, he added.
“This can be achieved through equality between them as stipulated by the constitution,” al-Rahi stated.
Addressing regional developments, the patriarch noted: “The real Arab Spring can be achieved through Christian-Muslim partnership.”
“Christians in the East are required to launch a spiritual, moral, social, and national renaissance through resorting to the living Bible,” he stressed.
“The Arab Spring is the product of the Arab people and not foreign powers,” he added.
“The foreign meddling will only take place at the locals’ expense,” he noted.
Furthermore, he warned that religious fundamentalism "may turn the spring into a winter.”
"Violence and terrorism forebode a destructive winter," al-Rahi cautioned, strongly condemning "the spate of bombings in Iraq which left dozens of innocent people dead or injured."
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