Lebanese Bishops Call for End to Sit-in

 

By Doreen Abi Raad

Beirut – Catholic News Service — Lebanon’s Catholic bishops called for an end to the opposition’s “tent city” sit-in in downtown Beirut and for lawmakers to elect a president on time.

“It is time to liberate the capital’s city center and its surroundings,” said the country’s Maronite bishops in a statement following their Oct. 3 meeting, presided over by Cardinal Nasrallah P. Sfeir, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church. The sit-in was launched by the Islamic Hezbollah-led opposition last December, with the aim of toppling the current government to make way for a national unity government.

The protest has clogged downtown Beirut, affecting thousands of workers and the livelihood of shops, restaurants and other businesses in the normally vibrant tourist area. “Reinstating prosperity and construction in Beirut would be an appreciated national move,” the bishops said.

The bishops also criticized Lebanon’s ruling majority and the opposition for failing to agree on a consensus candidate for the presidency and for their “unjustified” ongoing rhetoric regarding a potential candidate. “More important,” the bishops said, “is holding presidential elections within the constitutional schedule and in line with the constitution to avoid a political vacuum and the dangerous chaos that would follow.”

Lebanon’s parliament gathered for the presidential vote Sept. 25, but the session did not officially convene due to an insufficient number of lawmakers in attendance. They are now scheduled to meet Oct. 23 for the vote. Lebanon’s President Emile Lahoud’s term expires Nov. 24. According to Lebanon’s Constitution, the post is reserved for a Maronite Catholic.