by reuters — A top Lebanese court Thursday rejected lawsuits filed by a former prime minister and three former ministers seeking to …

by vaticannews.va -- Pope Francis Thursday morning received in audience the Prime Minister of Lebanon, His Excellency Mr. Najib Mikati, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by His Excellency Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States. During the cordial talks in the Secretariat of State, the historic relations between the Holy See and Lebanon and the important role played by the Catholic Church in the country were emphasised. Reference was made to the current situation that the Lebanese people are experiencing, especially with regard to the political crisis and socio-economic conditions, and the hope that justice, the necessary reforms and the support of the international community will help to restore the fate of the Country of Cedars. Furthermore, in reiterating the importance of promoting the concept of full citizenship for every Lebanese, the importance of peaceful coexistence was emphasised, so that Lebanon might continue to be a message of peace and fraternity that rises from the Middle East. (Working translation of the original text in Italian)

Exchange of gifts

A traditional exchange of gifts followed the private meeting between the two leaders. Prime Minister Mikati presented the Pope with a tile from the Greek Melkite Church of Saint Saviour in Beirut. One of the oldest churches in the Lebanese capital, Saint Saviour was badly damaged during the 1975 war; but was fully restored and opened again to parishioners in 1973. The Church was severely damaged again by the explosion of 4 August 2020. For his part, Pope Francis offered the Lebanese prime minister a bronze casting of workers in a vineyard, with the inscription, “May the fruit of the vine and of human labour become for us the draught of salvation”; along with a number of documents published during his papacy.

سجعان قزي

@AzziSejean

الحياةُ لِـمَن رامَ المجدَ، وما مجدٌ لا يُكلِّلُه التواضع. تواضعُ المجدِ هو انتصارُ النُبلِ على خُيَلاءِ الغرور. لدينا الغرورُ والخُيَلاءُ ويَنقُصُنا المجدُ والنُبل. ليس المجدُ، بالضرورةِ، انتصارًا سياسيًّا أو عسكريًّا، فَكَم انتصاراتٍ تَسلَّقت على الدِماءِ والفسادِ والحِقدِ والغِشّ ولامسَت خيبةَ الانْكِسار. وكَم انكساراتٍ ظنّها أصحابُها انتصاراتٍ وسَعَوا إلى توريثِها.

هناك مجدُ الأعمالِ الخالدةِ الفِكريّةِ والعِلميّةِ والفنيّة، ومجدُ الكرامةِ والقيمِ والفضائل، ومجدُ الإحساسِ بالنعمةِ والحُبور والسلامِ مع الذاتِ. هناك مجدُ الإيمانِ بالوطنِ والأمّة، ومجدُ التحريرِ والحرّية، هناك مجدُ الانتماءِ إلى دولةِ القانونِ والجبينِ العالي، ومجدُ الانتسابِ إلى التقاليدِ والتُراث، ومجدُ الشعورِ القوميِّ الرحيب. هكذا يرتفعُ الفردُ وتَسْمو الشعوبُ وتَرتقي الأمَم.

وصْمةُ أكثريّةِ أهلِ الشرقِ وعِلّــتُها أنّها غَلَّلَت مجدَها بالقوميّةِ الأحَديّةِ، وأوْثَقت قوميّتَها بالدينِ وجَرّحَت دينَها بالسيف، ولا تَعرِفُ كيف تُعيدُه إلى غِمْدِه. وإذا السيوفُ كانت زينةَ الرجالِ في الجاهليّةِ، فيُفترَضُ أن يكونَ السلامُ أصبحَ زينتَهم بعدَ الإسلام. لكنَّ ما حصلَ هو العكس: ظَلَّ عنترةُ بن شَدّاد "يَذكُرُ والرماحُ نواهلٌ، ويَوَدُّ تقبيلَ السيوفِ لأنّها لـمَعَت".... وفي أوروبا بَقيت سيوفُ المسيحيّين تَلمعَ في حروبٍ دينيّة ٍكأنْ لم يأْتِ المسيحُ ولم يَفتَدِ، ولا الإنجيلُ دعا إلى أنْ نُحبَّ أعداءَنا. بعد حربِ الثلاثين سنةً (1618/1648)، قال المؤرخ أوليڤيه شالين: "لو جرت حربٌ بين البروتستانت ووثنيّين لكانت أقلَّ عنفًا من تلك التي بين البروتستانت والكاثوليك".

By Najia Houssari -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Hezbollah is experiencing political confusion, writer and political analyst Sana Aljak said on Wednesday, amid reports of a disagreement between the party and the Amal Movement headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on their earlier call to remove Judge Tarek Bitar from his investigation into last year's Beirut port blast. The government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati has been stuck over how to respond to calls for Bitar's removal, and the positive atmosphere that prevailed in a meeting on Monday between Berri, Mikati and President Michel Aoun had not materialized into concrete steps by the middle of the week. There were also claims of a dispute between Berri and Hezbollah on the solutions proposed for resuming Cabinet meetings. The two allies have boycotted the meetings since Oct. 12, against the backdrop of the port blast investigation, and the government turmoil has been aggravated by a provocative statement from Information Minister George Kordahi about the war in Yemen.

The meeting on Lebanon’s Independence Day produced, according to the information that followed, “flexibility, positivity, and openness to resolving outstanding problems.” There has been an increasing level of conversation about solutions related to Kordahi. There are also reports that Aoun promised to facilitate understanding on solutions provided that the prime minister, after his Vatican visit to meet Pope Francis, invited a Cabinet session that conveyed to the international community the government’s seriousness about implementing commitments to save Lebanon from collapse. The information circulated said the way out regarding Hezbollah’s demand to suspend Bitar was to limit his powers. Accordingly, out of respect for the provisions of the constitution, Bitar should not be allowed to investigate accused officials, including ministers, MPs and a former prime minister, and try these officials before the Supreme Council for the trial of presidents and ministers.