The Assyrian Democratic Organization
By Doreen Abi Raad
EIRUT – Catholic News Service — Lebanon’s Catholic bishops said the country “is on the verge of (an) abyss” and warned that if a new president was not elected within the constitutional schedule “the fate of the nation would be grim.”
In a statement, the country’s Maronite bishops called for “cooperation between parliament and the (feuding) factions so that Lebanon can regain its status among nations.” The statement was issued following the Maronite bishops’ monthly meeting presided over by Cardinal Nasrallah P. Sfeir, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church. Lebanon’s parliament was scheduled to convene Sept. 25 to choose a president.
In addition to an ongoing political impasse and threats by some factions to boycott the election, the makeup of parliament was further disrupted by the assassination of a Christian lawmaker just hours after the bishops concluded their meeting Sept. 19. Lebanon’s parliament must choose a successor to President Emile Lahoud before his extended mandate ends in November. Some Lebanese fear that if the lawmakers cannot agree on a candidate, parallel governments could result. “If the presidential issue fails,” the bishops said, “the destiny of the country will be black.
This stirs the anxiety and wrath of the Lebanese people. The responsibility for this, before God, conscience and history, falls upon the people of the government and politicians.” They said that “if each faction thought of setting up an independent homeland … we would cease to have a homeland.” The bishops called for a president who will be dedicated to the interests of the Lebanese people and who will not be influenced or manipulated by foreign powers.
They admonished Lebanese politicians for their bickering and allegiance to other countries. They said Lebanon “is either a sovereign, free, independent homeland which runs its citizens’ affairs in total responsibility, or it is a deficient sovereignty … subordinated to somebody else.”
Alluding to Lebanon’s occupation by Syria, the bishops said, “We saw where the subordination from which we suffered for more than a quarter of a century took us.” Saying that the country is “on the brink of inflation and collapse” with a debt of more than $40 billion, the bishops called attention to mushrooming emigration. They noted that nearly 1 million Lebanese citizens from the nation’s various sects have emigrated, either to seek work or safety, resulting in a “brain drain.”
The bishops commended the Lebanese army for its actions during the 2006 fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hezbollah and during the recent uprising by militants of the Sunni Islamic branch. “We thank God that the Lebanese army held together more than any other time.
Its officers and privates faced death with sure bravery and determination,” they said. “In the second half of the last century, the events which took place divided and split the army, but this time it stood up against the trial.”
