The Vatican has reportedly accepted the resignation of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, the daily Al-Akhbar reported Tuesday.

It said March 8 has been set as a date to elect a new patriarch for the Maronite church.

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati sent a message to Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, Miqati’s advisor Joe Issa al-Khoury told reporters in Bkirki on Friday.

Following talks with Sfeir, al-Khoury refused to unveil details of the message that he delivered to the patriarch.

The Council of Maronite Bishops on Wednesday expressed gratitude that the situation in Lebanon is fine despite complications and wished Premier-designate Najib Miqati success in forming the cabinet.

“We thank God that the situation in Lebanon is fine and we wish the PM-designate success in his mission to confront the current situation,” the bishops said in a statement read by Monsignor Youssef Toq.

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir has reportedly told former Cabinet Minister Wadih al-Khazen that the situation in Lebanon is at a dangerous crossroads.

“We are at a dangerous crossroads,” Khazen quoted Sfeir as telling him.

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri stated on Friday that Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir’s submission of his resignation requires a “moment of contemplation that goes beyond the feelings of appreciation and respect for a career spanning a quarter of century.”

He said in a letter directed to the patriarch: “Throughout his career, he never hesitated in taking the position that falls in Lebanon’s interest and committing to principles that constitute Lebanese values.”

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Thursday called in his Christmas message on the various Lebanese sides to "sacrifice" for Lebanon.

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

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir expressed surprise at threats unleashed by Hizbullah, particularly by head of Hizbullah’s parliamentary bloc MP Mohammed Raad, without naming him.

“The country cannot carry on under this escalating climate where one (political) camp threatens the other,” Sfeir told al-Mustaqbal newspaper in remarks published Tuesday.

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir appeased fears about a worsening situation, saying conditions will get better thanks to the people who are making sacrifices to salvage the nation.

“We hope Lebanon would become better than it was,” Sfeir told a student delegation on Wednesday.

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir hoped on Thursday that President Michel Suleiman would succeed in his efforts to relaunch national dialogue sessions.

“Lebanon is a small country dogged by crises … This small country is influenced by its neighbors that’s why its citizens are always worried,” Sfeir told a delegatiion from the Antonine University in Baabda.