Posted on 03/15/2005 1:16:17 AM PST by NYer
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, a strong critic of Syria's control in Lebanon who left Monday for a meeting with President Bush (news - web sites), has emerged as a key opposition figure whose influence cuts across sectarian lines in this religiously diverse nation.
The soft-spoken 84-year-old patriarch, head of the 900,000-member Maronite Catholic Church, began criticizing Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs when few dared challenge the authority of the pro-Syria government and its Syrian backers.
His first major salvo came in September, months before Lebanon was thrust into the spotlight with the Feb. 14 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, a killing that has triggered mass street demonstrations demanding that Syria get out of Lebanon.
Syria "gives orders, appoints leaders, organizes parliamentary and other elections, brings in whoever it wants and drops whoever it wants, interferes in all aspects of life in the administration, the judiciary, the economy and particularly the politics, through its representative here and his aides," Sfeir complained in September.
He was protesting Syria's role in the passage of a constitutional amendment that led to the extending of the term of Lebanon's pro-Damascus president, Emile Lahoud.
Sfeir's bold broadside, and his campaign for Christian-Muslim harmony, won wide respect among Lebanon's Muslim majority, and all the country's political factions have courted him at his seat in Bkirki, on a mountain hugging the Mediterranean shore.
After meeting with the cardinal in January, Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, told reporters that "we always consider him a national authority."
As Sfeir left for a Wednesday meeting at the White House, hundreds of thousands of protesters jammed Beirut's streets to protest Syrian dominance on the one-month anniversary of Hariri's killing. The crowds forced Sfeir to be flown by helicopter from Bkirki to the airport.
The invitation to Washington followed Sfeir's meeting with French President Jacques Chirac, who has joined the Bush administration in demanding a thorough inquiry into Hariri's killing and pressing Syria to remove its troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon.
Despite his tough stance against Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs, the cardinal wants good relations between both countries.
"Syria is our neighbor and we are obliged to establish the best relations with it," he said recently. "But it must not interfere in internal Lebanese affairs. We are responsible for our fate in Lebanon."
Sfeir has been a strong advocate of Christian-Muslim coexistence in a country where Christians' political power dwindled over the decades as their majority evaporated and where sectarian divisions led to the devastating 1975-90 civil war.
He was instrumental in persuading hard-line Christians to approve the 1989 Arab-brokered Taif Accord, which ended the civil war. It also called for a gradual Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon and for political reforms that saw Christians lose control of the final say in government.
Sfeir also supports integrating Hezbollah, the Shiite Muslim militant movement that opposes Israel and is listed as a terrorist group by Washington, into Lebanon's political mainstream.
His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir,
Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East
Place & Date of Birth: Born on May 15, 1920, in the Maronite town of Rayfoun in Kesrouan. Son of Maroun Sfeir and Hanneh Fahd (From Ghosta) with five sisters: Matilla, Jawhara, Audith, Laure, Milaneh.
Status: Cardinal Sfeir is the 3rd Maronite Cardinal and the 76th Patriarch of the Maronite Church.
Education: Completed his Primary and Complementary studies at Mar Abda School in Harharaya and his Secondary studies (i.e. High School) at St. Maron Seminary in Ghazir. Holds a Doctorate degree in Philosophical and Theological studies from Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon
Career: Ordained Priest on May 7, 1950. Priest of Rayfoun Parish, in charge of the secretariat of the Maronite Bishopric of Damascus (1951 - 1955). Secretary of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke and Professor of Translation in Literature and Philosophy at the Freres Maronite School in Jounieh (1956). Appointed Titular Bishop of Tarse and Patriarchal Vicar (June 19,1961). Appointment confirmed by His Holiness Pope John XXIII (July 3, 1961). Ordained Bishop (July 16, 1961). Patriarchal Vicar and Secretary of the Maronite Patriarchate (1961 - 1986). Elected Maronite Patriarch for Antioch and all the East (April 19, 1986). Entrusted by His Holiness Pope John Paul II with the "ecclesiastic communio" (May 7, 1986). Created Cardinal by His Holiness Pope John Paul II (November 26, 1994). Delegate President of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Lebanon (1995).
Languages: As the case is with most Maronite Patriarchs and monks, his Eminence is fluent in Arabic, Syriac/Aramaic, French, Italian/Latin, and English .
Publications (In Arabic): Of the sources of the Gospel, Bkerke, 1975, 416 pages. Personalities who have disappeared from 1961 - 1974 in 2 volumes, Bkerke, 1984. Sunday Sermons: spiritual reflections and stand of national positions, many volumes, Bkerke, 1988 to present.
The tentative schedule of events is as follows:
Mon. 3/14: Arrival of Patriarch in evening to Washington, DC
Tue. 3/15: Honorary Doctorate at Catholic University
Wed. 3/16: Private Meeting with President Bush
Thu. 3/17: Private Luncheon with Members of both Houses; Inter-Eparchial celebration: Mass at 6:00 pm at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, banquet to follow
Fri. 3/18: Arrive in Brooklyn: 12:00 pm Private Lunch with Archbishop Migliore at United Nations; 7:00 pm Lenten devotions at Cathedral of Our Lady of Lebanon; Honorary Doctorate from Fordham University, followed by Lenten meal
Sat. 3/19: (Feast of St. Joseph): 5:00 Liturgy at Cathedral; 7:00 pm Banquet
Sun. 3/20: 11:00 am Palm Sunday celebration at Cathedral
Mon. 3/21: Return to Lebanon
Catholic Ping - Come home for Easter and experience God’s merciful love. Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
As Sfeir left for a Wednesday meeting at the White House, hundreds of thousands of protesters jammed Beirut's streets to protest Syrian dominance on the one-month anniversary of Hariri's killing. The crowds forced Sfeir to be flown by helicopter from Bkirki to the airport.
He looks quite perky for 84. I wonder whether the 900,000 Maronites in Lebanon were the people in the streets today. :>)
Precisely!
BKIRKI: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said on Sunday that street demonstrations were useless and that Hizbullah should join Lebanese political life. Speaking to members of the foreign media, the Patriarch urged the Lebanese to arm themselves with wisdom in order to stand up to the economic and financial problems threatening the country.
Sfeir: Hizbullah should stop rallies and join political life
They undoubtedly contributed to the melee! You can be sure the expatriates are waving their flags in solidarity. We welcome the Patriarch to the US and pray that his visit with President Bush will bear fruit.
The 900K Maronnites are spread not only in Lebanon but also in Syria (10% of Syria is Christian and they are treated pretty well over there) and around the world
All communities were strongly represented, christians, druze and...sunnis! while there was a minority of shiites who dared to defy the Hizbollah and Amal.
The Greek Orthodox Patriach of Antioch, who is a syrian national, declared openly in 1985: This land is ours, and they (the moslems) are our guests. Christians do not beg anyone for good treatment.
Thanks for the ping! I'm excited to see him come to speak with Dubya. May our Lord cause this meeting to bear much Fruit! God bless the Lebonese, and all who desire Freedom.
I look forward to going to Syria and Lebanon soon. No kidding. With every passing day, the area looks safer for Americans, though acquaintances from Syria have assured me I would have been safe traveling there all along.
For your daily thread! It should be interesting to see what, if any, coverage is given to this, by the MSM. Reborn, keep eyes and ears open!
Go! Enjoy yourself! I know several families who have traveled to Lebanon recently.
It's the Eastern Antiochian Orthodox in that neck of the woods.
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