Al-Rahi Says Lebanese Role in Arab Spring Mustn't Involve Promoting Violence
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday said the Lebanese “must not stand idly by concerning the events in the Arab countries,” but stressed that their role must not involve promoting violence in the countries of the Arab Spring.
“We hope the Arab world will achieve the so-called Arab Spring and will meet the needs of the people at the political level and in terms of economic and social reforms,” al-Rahi said in Montreal, where he arrived on Saturday for a pastoral visit.
“Of course we are looking forward for a democratic spring in the Arab world and for an Arab world that respects all public freedoms, human rights and the dignity of every individual; for an Arab world that knows how to separate between state and religion,” the patriarch added.
“We are against violence and against war, which we had experienced in Lebanon and we don’t wish on anyone,” he went on to say.
Al-Rahi also called on the Lebanese to “stand by their brothers in the Arab world who are seeking freedom.”
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