Suleiman Grants al-Rahi Order of Cedar, Urges Officials to Attend Dialogue
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Michel Suleiman reiterated on Saturday calls for Lebanese foes to attend the all-party talks, urging officials not to favor any side in the Syrian conflict.
“Everyone should attend the national dialogue and officials shouldn't favor neither the Syrian regime nor the opposition,” Suleiman said after granting Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara al-Rahi the National Order of the Cedar medal, Lebanon's highest honor.
The assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau head Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan on October 19 has raised fears about unrest in the country, which is divided between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose country supervised its small neighbor for nearly 30 years.
The Ashrafiyeh bombing in Beirut that killed Hasan along with two others deepened the gap between the March 14 alliance and the March 8 coalition.
The opposition rejects attending the national dialogue before the government resigns and demands the formation of a neutral salvation cabinet as the only way to defuse the tension in the country.
For his part, al-Rahi called on the Lebanese to seek “to make Lebanon a model country for dialogue, neutral and committed to peace and justice.”
Pope Benedict XVI formally elevated on Saturday al-Rahi and five other prelates at a ceremony that was held at St. Peter's Basilica, bestowing red hats and gold rings on them.
His choice to elevate al-Rahi is seen by observers as a sign of Vatican support for religious diversity in Lebanon, which Benedict said was a "model" for the region during a visit in September.
The pope has called for peaceful coexistence between Islam and Christianity and has said Christians should stay in the Middle East despite rising Islamism.
24 November 2012, 19:45
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Suleiman nazal imet el order of the cedar by giving it to someone who hasn't proven anything yet. Tssss
24 November 2012, 20:29
20
Rudes dont even bother with someone who is born in a box under the stairs like benzona. PARTITION IS THE ANSWER, enough is enough.
24 November 2012, 20:47
03
Your comment made me smile because my family says the same joke about me every now and then.
Partition isn't the answer, partition is impossible. What geographical limits do you set for Christians? Or for Sunni or Shia? What about the Jews we used to have on our soil in large number?
25 November 2012, 08:51
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سليمان يبلّغ نجاد رسالة احتجاج على الطائرة أيوب
كشف مصدر رفيع رافق رئيس الجمهورية ميشال سليمان في زيارته لروما لـ"المستقبل" عن أن رئيس الجمهورية بعث في الأسبوع الماضي رسالة احتجاج إلى نظيره الإيراني محمود أحمدي نجاد عبر وزير الطاقة الإيراني مجيد نمجو خلال استقباله له في قصر بعبدا، أبلغه خلالها احتجاجه على إرسال الطائرة "أيوب" وحصولها على معلومات تم تزويدها لإيران من دون إطلاع رئيس الجمهورية اللبنانية والحكومة اللبنانية عليها، واعتباره هذه الخطوة "تجاهلاً لمشاعر اللبنانيين وتمسّكهم بسيادتهم الوطنية"
أضاف المصدر أن سليمان "أبلغ ضيفه الإيراني أن الشق المتعلق بحزب الله من هذه المسألة، يعود نقاشه إلى اللبنانيين أنفسهم، أما تعاطي إيران مع لبنان خارج أصول التعاطي من دولة إلى دولة، فمسألة لا يمكن القبول بها"، وطلب من الوزير الإيراني نقل هذه الرسالة إلى نجاد
25 November 2012, 12:00
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All these honors for a religious man are meangingless. Instead, Al Rae should direct his attention to the religious matters which are far away from earthy gratifications and honoring. he should be the humblest of all and tread the path of Jesus: one of dedication and humblessness. these religious people from the pope down are sitting on gold while more than one in three in the world is in drastio poverty. I guess if jesus comes again he will first deny all these religious hypocrates who live a life of lush and prosperity. I used to frequent churches before, but the way things go with these churches, i am losing faith altogether.
25 November 2012, 15:38
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Peace, Peace, Peace and only Peace Our Lady Of Medjugorje said to the 6 visionaries of on the first days of the apparitions. Peace between man kind and God and Peace between mankind itself. Last week in Bkirki Lebanon, Ivan Drigicivic one of the six visionaries attended Holy Mass with Patriarck Bashara, Bishops, and over 300 priests and 14,000 parishioners. Christians and Moslims combined through out to received Our Lady's Blessings and pray together for Peace. I Love You all My Childeren and you are all Loved by God. Respect and love each other for God loves you no matter what religion you are. Peace, Peace and only Peace comes from true God himself. The true Peace comes from the King of Peace Her Son Jesus Christ. Mans Peace is temporary and the true peace can only come from God. Turn your hearts to him and ask for this Grace. Pray to our loving God for his Grace for it is only that Grace in which true and ever lasting Peace will prevaile. Your Brother from far away. Tony
