Khazen.org offer its support to the Office of the Lebanese Presidency:

1- We support the Lebanese Presidency and its rights to defend and uphold the Lebanese Constitution. The key for the Lebanese presidency to be a real arbitrator, is for the office to be effectively represented in the Lebanese government.  For president Suleiman to be able to follow the constitution and  to be a real arbitrator as it is intended and clear, it is the right of this office to have ministers representing him or else he will not be able to be a real arbitrator as the constitution calls for it .

2- The Lebanese Constitution is very clear, the President Issue the decree appointing the prime minister independently. On agreement with the prime minister, issue the decree forming the cabinet. President Suleiman responsibility and role from the constitution is to sign the formation of the government, that will be able to govern independently and represent the interest of Lebanon. Only president Suleiman has the right to decide what kind of government he will support  where as an arbitrator he feels it will serve best interest of the Lebanese nation. 

3- We support the President as the commander in chef of all of the Armed Forces.  Regardless of the unfortunate event of what has happened in the Telecommunication Ministry, and the intention of the Minister Charbel Nahas, we can ask many questions. Why now? Was it necessary? Why not when the government when he took in charge the ministry? All of these questions we may never find the answer, but one important factor, the President of the Republic because of his unique leadership as Preserving the constitution, has saved Lebanon an additional time by preventing any fights!. And we salute our President as the Commander in Chief of all of the Armed forces! Unfortunately  Rifi has shown poor judgement, regardles of why he was there when the Interior Minister Baroud request him to leave, his duty is to leave! And because of disrespecting the Lebanese laws and constitution we request his case to be followed within the Lebanese Justice and for his direct resignation from Head of the internal security forces. He is not fit anymore to be able to control ISF when he takes political stands; This is not a political position!

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Khazen.org offer its complete support to our Maronite Patriarch, our father, the Hope of Lebanon. His opinions are sacred. He is the voice of the Lebanese.  What we need is a government that serve the interest of the people and not a government specialized in foreign relation as they have been building  for the last 5 years and our youth are leaving Lebanon. We pray for the very quick formation of the Lebanese government, where our politicians will think less about their own interest and how to create larger parties but rather think more about the Lebanese people their pain, ecnomical suffering and uncertainty. As our Patriarch and President are seeking requesting, a government that will be able to govern freely, prevent conflicts, increase economical prosperity, jobs and create new programs to boost business, education, heath programs and investments.

khazen.org prays for the Christians of the Middle East, especially for the Christians of Egypt and Iraq being persecuted. And all of the minorities in the Middle-East going through an uncertain future. There are no words that we can use to describe these atrocities against the Christians. We hope for the leaders of these countries and of the Free world to act quickly. We also request for the leaders of these countries to create a long term plan and not only a superficial plan as they have been creating for the last 30 years. Every citizen have the right to live in peace and freely and these communities are here to stay. These leaders will need to educate their communities in accepting the others, non-violence and invest in schools and economy.

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai appealed Sunday for a swift formation of a new government, saying the inexplicable delay was ruining the country “I take this opportunity to make this appeal from the heart: Enough, Enough, enough,” Rai told reporters at Beirut’s airport before flying to Rome for a meeting at the Vatican. “Enough procrastination, and enough paralysis in our Lebanese life. We are sitting on the top of a volcano because of what is going on in the Arab world.” Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati’s four-month-old efforts to form a Cabinet have yet to succeed despite some progress over the past week. The main hurdle remains Christian representation in the government.“All the people demands that we have a government,” Rai said. “We can’t understand this delay. We have said before that the delay in forming the Cabinet is ruinous, it is destroying the state and suppressing the citizens.

Vatican City – Focusing on youth formation and returning to "proclaim and live the" Good News, with the same spirit of the early Christians: these are Benedict XVI’s recommendations to Lebanese Catholics, in his address to the new Maronite Patriarch Béchara Boutros Raï, received together with the delegation that accompanied him to Rome for the concession of ecclesial communion, following his election by the Maronite Synod.

The Pope, who underscored the presence Card. Nasrallah Sfeir, predecessor of the current patriarch, praising his 25 years of service to the Church "in the midst of the turmoil of history”.  Speaking to the 77th leader of the Maronite Church he said that "since you are in the heart of the Middle East, you have an immense mission", to "propose the Gospel to people who know little about it or who have moved away from the Church. " "With all the vital forces present in Lebanon and the Middle East this means" witnessing and living in communion with the Word of life to rediscover the zeal of the early believers. "

"This region of the world, blessed by the presence and preaching of patriarchs, prophets, apostles and of Christ himself, aspires to the lasting peace that the Word of life, accepted and lived, has the ability to establish".

"You must pursue this goal through the human and spiritual, moral and intellectual education of young people, thanks to your schools and catechism classes, of which I know the quality. I very much hope that your role in their formation is increasingly recognized by society, so that the core values are transmitted, without discrimination, so that today's young people "become responsible men and women within their families and society, to build greater solidarity and fraternity among all components of the nation. "

May Lebanon remain a free and pluralistic country! That’s the hope the new Lebanese Patriarch of the Maronite Church who is watching the current unrest in the region with concern.
Patriarch Bechara Rai expressed his concerns to Pope Benedict in his first audience since he was elected leader of the Maronite Church of Antioch in March. In his words to the new patriarch, Pope Benedict reiterated the urgency of proposing "the Gospel to those who do not know it well or have moved away from the Church” and to help the local faithful “to rediscover the enthusiasm of the first Christians.”
Formerly a director of the Arabic program for 12 years at Vatican Radio, Patriarch Rai spoke to me ahead of his audience with the Holy Father. Tracey McClure asked him if he fears the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa might in some way spill over into Lebanon...

Speaking in Italian, Patriarch Rai said “Of course we are worried. There could be consequences for Lebanon because we do not know where these protests are going. Lebanon is the place of freedom of expression and the place where all religions are represented; one does not assimilate another.” (And Lebanon is a place) “where there are differences of opinion and the political pluralism of parties. If these regimes of the Arab world were to become tougher,” he said, “it would be the Christians of these countries who would pay! Christians would be the first victims…”

Pope John Paul II often spoke of Lebanon as a model of coexistence among Christians, Muslims and Druze. The nation’s constitution guarantees the political and civil rights of all of its 18 different confessions. The President is always a Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni and the Speaker of the House a Shiite. Despite the turmoil in countries surrounding Lebanon, Patriarch Rai expressed his belief that its model of pluralism would not be at risk. “I don’t think so because the Lebanese - all the Lebanese: Muslims and Christians – attach great importance to this coexistence: all of them,” he says. “However, if Christians continue to emigrate in ever greater numbers, Lebanon’s political system will be conditioned by this, also demographically. In fact, if the demographics of Christians were to drop significantly, then even their representation will change. It will no longer be balanced, that is, 50-50. Perhaps it will be 75-25, or perhaps it will tend to disappear. But we hope to be able to preserve our presence and maintain our numbers, demographically as well.”

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نـهـضـة الكـنـيسـة المارونية أعـطيـت لـه

نشر هذا المقال في مجلة المسيرة في 25 آذار 2011 بمناسبة تنصيب البطريرك الراعي

سجعان القزي

نائب رئيس حزب الكتائب اللبنانية

في الخامس والعشرين من آذار 2011 بدأ عهد البطريرك مار بشارة بطرس الراعي، لا عهد البطريركية المارونية الموجودة منذ نحو 1325 سنة. إنه أولُ بطريرك على كنيسة لبنان وإنطاكية وسائر المشرق في القرن الواحد والعشرين (الشعبُ الجالسُ في ظلمة أبصر نوراً عظيماً).

التحدي عظيمٌ والمسؤولية أعظم. ما هَمّ: إنْ كان البطريرك الراعي يتمتّع بصفاتٍ ذاتية مـيّـزته لبلوغ سُـدَّة البطريركية، فما أن يستويَ بطريركٌ على عرش "مجد لبنان أُعطي له"، حتى تهبطَ عليه أيضاً نِعمُ الوقارِ والمهابة، الرصانةِ والثبات، التقوى والعفة، الشموخِ والعزة، الكِـبَرِ والتواضع، والحنانِ والرأفة. تـنـدُر كلماتُـه وتكـثُر أفعالُه. يَـثـقُب بنظراته، فلا يبخُل بابتساماته ولا يبذَخ بضِحكاته. برَكةُ يده لا تُـغني عن تحذير إصبعه، فعصاه متعددةُ الاستعمال. في شخصيته يَسكن أملُ الميلاد وألـمُ الجلجلة وعذابُ الصليب ورجاءُ القيامة. على جَبهته يَرتسمُ وادي العاصي وجبلُ لبنان ولبنانُ وإنطاكية وسائرُ المشرق. وعلى محـيّـاه يَلوح طيفُ مار مارون والقديسِين شربل ورفقا والحرديني والطوباويَين نعمه والكبوشي (فكونوا أنتم كاملين كما أن أباكم الذي في السموات هو كامل).

لست واعظاً لأرشُدَ البطريرك الجديد إلى ما عليه أن يفعل، فله عينان تَريان. لكني ابنُ الكنيسة وواجبي أن أنقلَ إليه تمنياتي، وللبطريرك أذنان تُصغيان. أنا من يحتاج إلى توجيهِه ونُصحِه وصلاته وبركته.

غِبطة البطريرك مار بشارة بطرس الراعي أمضى ربعَ قرنٍ أُسقفاً يشارك البطريركَ صفير في إدارةِ شؤون الكنيسة المارونية ورسمِ سياستِها وتحضيرِ قراراتِها وإعلان مواقِفها. ويعرِف نقاطَ قوّةِ الكنيسة المارونية وضعفِها، ويستطيع تحديدَ الأولويات ووضعَ خريطةِ طريق نحو التاريخ المستقبلي.

من هذه الفرضية أرى البطريركَ الراعي يَطرد اللصوص والباعةَ من الهيكل، ويَنهي المرائين و"الكتبةَ" عن تَسلّقِ درَج بكركي (بيتي بيت الصلاة يُدعى). أراه يحرِّم على مُـدَّعِـيِ الأدوار ومختلِقي المهمّـات ومُنتَحِلي الصفات التحدّثَ باسم البطريركية، ويَفصُل بين أمنِ بكركي والتنصّتِ عليها (اذهبوا عني يا فاعلي الإثم). أراه يُشذِّب أغصانَ بكركي من الأحمالِ الثقيلة فـتُورِف، ومن النوافلِ فـتُـثمر (كل غرسٍ لم يزرعْه أبي السموي يُقلع). أرى البطريركَ الراعي يبحث عن النعاجِ الضائعةِ ليعيدَها إلى خطِّ بكركي المستقيم (إذا وجدَها يضعَها على مِنكَـبَـيْـه فرِحاً).

لا يحبُّ البطريرك الراعي بَخّورَ المدّاحين ولا ثرثرة المتزلّفين. لا يتحـمّـل حاشيةً تستظل جُـبَّـته وتستغلُّ موقعه (يُكـرَّمني هذا الشعبُ، وقلـبُـه مني بعيد). لا يحبّ البطريرك الراعي المؤسساتِ التي أُنشئت لتكونَ امتداداً عَلمانياً لبكركي ودرعَها في المجتمع المدني، فتختفي وتربُط ألسنتها حين تتعرّض بكركي لهجومٍ ظالم وتطاول معيب، فـيَـهُبّ هو، وكان بعدُ أسقفاً، يردّ التحدي. أما، وقد أصبح بطريركاً، فيفضّل، على كل هؤلاء، فريقَ عملٍ ديني ـ عَلماني، من الرجال والنساء، يساعده على إكمال مسيرة ِنقلِ البطريركية إلى القرن الواحد والعشرين من دون أن تَتخلّى عن ثوابتِ القرن الرابع. فريق العمل الذي يَرغب به البطريرك الراعي شأنه أن يضم نخبةً زاهدةً، متجرِّدةً، نزيهةً، كفؤةً، مخلِصةً، نقـيَّـةً، شجاعةً، عميقةَ التفكير، عمليةَ الأداء، تقف إلى جانبِ غِبطته وتعمَل تحت إشرافه من أجلِ خيرِ الكنيسةِ والمؤمنين والإنسان (من أراد السيرَ ورائي فليَرغَب عن ذاته ويحمِل صليبَه ويَتبعْني).

وفي الأساس توجد في مكاتبِ بكركي وغرفِها تُخمة دراساتٍ ومشاريعَ راكدةٍ، منذ عقود، على رجاء القيامة. وما أن يَقيمها البطريرك الراعي، حتى تُقرع أجراسُ نجاحه بعد أجراسِ انتخابه.