Dear Mr. Patriarch!

[Youchka]

Originally Posted by Duke of Kanebridge III

i would for you to have the balls to say such things about Hassan nasrallah when he threatens to cut the hands off anyone who doesnt agree with him! officially the FPM has turned into most shameful of all parties, when you were a kid as much as you hate your teacher your parents always taught you to respect him.

As Christians here (the ones who are giving their opinion) we do not care what Hassan nasrallah says or does, he does not represent us nor our church. So ya reit instead of squeezing SHN or HA you nightmare in every single issue, you try to find excuses to that senile sitting in bkerki so we can swallow what he is actually doing and saying.

[needfortruth]

Originally Posted by joanna71

u r right , the majority of the Christians still go to to church for praying and do not want to see people attacking the head of the church because of politics .

And don't forget the dating scene and wife shopping. Ahhh! The single days!

[Secular Lebanon]

Originally Posted by Dark Angel

the maronite church and the bishops should shuv this warning up their ***** be it directed against us or against our opponents, el 3ama shou bala akhla2 sayreen hal khwarni, instead of excommunicating the criminals and the assassins they are bullying the peaceful folks.

it would be an honor for me to be excommunicated by the likes of these gray folks who not only fail to bring witness to the truth, but always bring false witness to it.

what a shame.. give it a few days and he will appologize again, and will return to the bloody gray zone of evil politics.

i've told you so many freakin times, maronites should convert to pure Catholicism and be done with the patriarchy once an for all. shou hal takhalouf hayda..

Perfectly Right.
You might remember that in 1986, Samir Geagea and Pakradouni set up a fake tribunal and decided to condemn one guy named Samir Zainoun to the death penalty. He was an LFer who deviated from their line. They killed him in the street in the name of "justice".

At the time, Raymond Eddé wrote two letters :

-one to the Bar Association calling on them to expel and disbar Pakradouni who is supposed as a lawyer to respect the Lebanese justice system and not set up parallel illegal courts that condemn people to death without any form of due diligence, contradictory statements or due process

-one to the Batrak, calling on him to excommunicate Geagea for cold blooded murder, or at least to close the doors of Bkerke to Geagea.


Needless to say :

The Bar Association, which was then controlled by some filthy phalangists did not act against Pakradouni.

The creepy batrak wrote back (and this looks funny today) that "excommunication is a very serious matter and should not be taken lightly and should never have political reasons but exclusively religious reasons."

In other words, extra-judicial cold blooded murder is not serious enough but writing an article criticizing the old senile fascist batrak is serious enough to deserve excommuniaction.

As you said, it would be an honour to be excommunicated by these folks. We should write a giant petition and send it to these medieval maniacs challenging them to excommunicate all of us.

[Greg Davis]

Originally Posted by aboulzouz

Allow me to disagree on the highlighted red part sustainability is not ensured by playing political games because you know in politics there
is no permanent winner right?

About the popularity it is not the issue, the issue is about the maronite
church and its existence

The patriarch isn't playing politics. Infact Lebanon's 'so called' politicians aren't even playing politics.
Lebanon is caught in the middle of a regional cold war. Each group of lebanons war lords has taken a side and are fighting it out. Now thats not politics.
The patriarch envisages his congregation adopt a certain strategy or direction to sustain their existance. Such direction happens to coincide with that of certain members of his congregation, while others disagree with this direction, and claim that he against them in their internal political battle with their political opponents.
The church has had many defectors throughout history. Thats how the Protestant Church, the Church of England, the Evangelicals and many others were created.

If you are so appauled with the patriarch's leadership, you can always go elsewhere

[METNI]

Originally Posted by Greg Davis

Hey GMAFOREVER

The Patriarch Sfeir is the head of the Maronite church. With his position comes responsibilities that surpass leading mass and giving sermons. Those responsibilities include ensuring the churches sustainability, particularly in our region where christianity is a dirty word. Ensuring the churches sustainability requires taking stances that may contradict those of certain congregation members.
Irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with his views towards the direction he finds appropriate for his congregation, such views demand respect. If not respect for the patriarch as an individual, respect for his position as the head of the church.

The more you and others attack the Patriarch, the more you hinder your chances of gaining popularity because a majority of Lebanon's christians still go to church, and respect his views, and dispize those who show descent

1- Ensuring the Church Sustainability - WLIK AHLA
2- particularly in our region where christianity is a dirty word - Another AHLA

- Regarding point 2, Batrakhhh is nb 1 contributor.
- Also under point 2, this is true in only one country which you love the most.

[Youchka]

Originally Posted by Greg Davis

Hey GMAFOREVER

The Patriarch Sfeir is the head of the Maronite church. With his position comes responsibilities that surpass leading mass and giving sermons. Those responsibilities include ensuring the churches sustainability, particularly in our region where christianity is a dirty word. Ensuring the churches sustainability requires taking stances that may contradict those of certain congregation members.
Irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with his views towards the direction he finds appropriate for his congregation, such views demand respect. If not respect for the patriarch as an individual, respect for his position as the head of the church.

The more you and others attack the Patriarch, the more you hinder your chances of gaining popularity because a majority of Lebanon's christians still go to church, and respect his views, and dispize those who show descent

I liked what you wrote the first part. Can you tell me how did the Patriarch endure the sustainability of the Church in Lebanon? You know that without Christians, there is no church. You also are witnessing the Christians emigration in huge numbers, you are witnessing the selling of Christians lands to non Christian people, even non Lebanese people, you are witnessing all that right? You are witnessing the Patriarch standing by the weak in his sect to weaken the strong which the other head of sects never do. You are witnessing all that, I hope.
So tell me, how are the stances of this Patriarch helping the Christians IN ANY WAY? Please I want to be convinced, I really do.

And when you say "respect for his position as the head of the church" you mean the church as a building or the church as priests or the church as the people? Caus here too this needs to be clarified. If you mean the building where he lives made of stones and roof, yeah definitely he is the head of it. If you mean the priests, well yes he is technically the head of them but then again, many of them are sending complaints to the vatican, they do not want him as their head anymore. If you mean the people, do you mean he is the head of half of the church, or all of it? This need to be made clear.

Now regarding your last paragraph, that made me smile actually.
For the people who are still going to the Church, it has nothing to do with the patriarch, they are CHRISTIANS, THEY BELIEVE IN THE CHRIST AND IN GOD AND IN THE VIRGIN, they were Christians before Patriarch Sfeir was born and they will be Christians after he dies, they go to pray for their God, it has NOTHING to do with the Patriarch.
Nevertheless, if you lived in Lebanon (hope you do so you can check it yourself), you would have witnessed the scary low turnout of Christians at churches compared to what it used to be. Just turn on TV on Sunday, and try to watch if some station is broadcasting the Bkerki's mass, and count the people there.

[Libnene Qu7]

Maronites should start converting to Greek Orthodox en masse.

[METNI]

Originally Posted by joanna71

thanks God u r not Maronite

It works both ways, doesn't it?
The goal is not being a Maronite..... at present.

[aboulzouz]

Originally Posted by Greg Davis

If you are so appauled with the patriarch's leadership, you can always go elsewhere

That is insulting. Who are you to decide where I should go.
I thought he only has the power to excommunicate

I stay here and fight corruption and bad leadership ;-)

[Julito]

Originally Posted by Comrade Bassam

It's the first time I wish I was a Maronite... to deserve the historical honor to be excommunicated by such a devil!

It's never too late mate ...