Khazen.org

Lebanese Christians celebrated separately the 1600th anniversary of the death of the founder of the Maronite faith, Saint Maroun, Tuesday in two masses - one held in Beirut and the other in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The Maronites are the largest Christian community in Lebanon, whilst there are six million Maronites worldwide, according to the church, including a large number of Lebanese exiles in the US.

The Maronite church is affiliated to the Roman Catholic Church and recognizes the authority of the pope.

The Maronite community held today events to honour Saint Maroun, father of the Maronite Church, who died 1,600 years ago.

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir and top government officials commemorated the event in Saint George’s Church, in Beirut. President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and several cabinet ministers, MPs and politicians, including Lebanese forces’ leader Samir Geagea.

Sfeir said in his sermon said that the Maronite church, which was established by Saint Maroun, was keen to promote peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims.

Meanwhile, other Lebanese Christians who belong to the pro-Syrian opposition, celebrated the mass at Saint Maroun church in Brad, near the Syrian city of Aleppo. That mass was attended by Christian leader Michel Aoun, former President Emile Lahoud, and Head of the Marada Party Sleiman Frangieh including many officials from Lebanon and other Syrian officials.

“Our visit today bears a historic importance since it sets a new track to revive true Eastern Christian culture because the Christian church originated from here," Aoun said.

As for Franjieh, he said his visit had a religious aspect.

Aoun, in a statement after the mass, stressed that his trip to Aleppo bears a historic significance, aimed at reviving Eastern Christian culture.

"Our visit today bears a historic importance since it sets a new track to revive true Eastern Christian culture because the Christian church originated from here," Aoun said.

President Lahoud also stressed to the religious aspect and unification of all maronites.

The Ad-Diyar daily focused on the divisions, citing sources within the Patriarchate. "What's happening in Brad is an attempt to target the Maronite Patriarchate and hint that there is a Christian authority that can make decisions to weaken the Maronite Church," the newspaper said.

Patriarch Sfeir also hinted at the divisions in his Lent message, which was released yesterday. In it, the head of the Maronite Church said, “The Maronite centre of gravity is in Lebanon.” Maronites “wrote their first true history not on paper, but in the book, which is the land of Lebanon.”

More explicitly, Geagea said that the “political leaders who travelled to Brad did not do so for Saint Maroun, but for political reasons.” (PD)