LEBANON: ETCHEGARAY ENDS VISIT, ALL MUST WORK TOGETHER

Agenzia Giornalistica Italia, Italy
Aug. 16, 2006

(AGI) – Vatican City, Aug 16 – Today, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray,
Emeritus President of the Papal Council of Justice and Peace, finished
his visit as a special envoy of the Pope in Lebanon, where he spoke
with the religious and political authorities to bring the concrete
and spiritual solidarity of Benedict XVI to "that population" and to
"all those who suffer in the Middle East". The Holy See issued a press
release saying that the cardinal met the Lebanese President, the Prime
Minster and the Vice President of the Shia Higher Council on Monday
14, then paying homage to the Republic’s Grand Mufti, to the Metronite
Patriarch and visiting the Caritas main office in Lebanon. Yesterday,
for the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Cardinal Etchegaray held
mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon at Harissa, which was
attended by Cardinal Pierre Nasrallah Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch of
the Maronites, and then visited a refugee centre at Haret Sakher and
met with the Catholicos of Armenians, Aram I. Before leaving Lebanon,
Etchegaray met the Maronite bishops in Bkerke’ and declared that the
truce made in recent days "must allow the deployment of all peace
forces". The special papal envoy also said, "And thanks must go to
the various levels of national and international organisations which
worked obstinately to create a path for collaboration: nothing can
be left out." The Cardinal said that the path is "long and steep",
but that it is also a spiritual path. "No effort will hold if it
is not supported by the peace of spirits and hearts. Therefore we
have prayed in the Sanctuary of Harissa and the Lebanese people
also understood, as many attended it despite their troubles." Only
"submission to God" can fight the evil "which holds men marked by
blind and suicidal violence". Cardinal Etchegaray also said that
after the talks with the local religious and political authorities,
"I can say that Christians and Muslims are ready to do everything
necessary to rebuild the injured country together." The Cardinal said
some words also for the refugees in southern Lebanon who try to find
their own lands and homes "often in tears". "I ask that all government
and non-government institutions not slow down but rather intensify
the aids which will be necessary for a long time yet," he said.