Head of Lebanese Christian community urges sacrifice

Thu, 23 Dec 2010

Beirut - The head of the Christian Maronite community in Lebanon called Thursday in his Christmas message on all rival Lebanese sides to "sacrifice" for Lebanon.

"The holidays, as every year, arrived amidst a split among the Lebanese, and the faithful cannot hide their concerns about their country," Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said in the message.

"Nations can only survive with its citizens' sacrifices," he urged. "Loyalty to Lebanon must be sacred."

Sfeir came under harsh attack this week from the Iranian and Syrian-backed Lebanese Shiite movement, Hezbollah, after he expressed fears that Hezbollah would stage a coup d'etat to seize control of Lebanon.

Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad on Wednesday hit back at Sfeir, telling him "we are not coup-seekers and this is not on our mind."

Lebanon is celebrating Christmas amid tensions following reports that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will soon issue its indictment into the 2005 assassination of Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri. It is expected that some Hezbollah members might be fingered for involvement in the murder.

Some leaders in Lebanon are concerned that should the court indict Hezbollah members, it could lead to a new civil strife in Lebanon.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359497,christian-community-urges-sacrifice.html.