سجعان قزي

وزير سابق

@AzziSejean

بدأ هذا الصباحَ في روما "يومُ التفكيرِ والصلاةِ من أجلِ لبنان". لافِتٌ أنْ يُقرِّرَ البابا فرنسيس شخصيًّا فتحَ مِلفِّ حلِّ القضيّةِ اللبنانيّةِ من خلالِ البطاركة الموقَّرين، كأنّه لا يَثِقُ بالدولةِ اللبنانيّةِ وبالجماعةِ السياسيّة؛ والباباوات قلّما يُخطِئون. هذه اللفتةُ تُحمّلُ البطاركةَ مسؤوليّةَ قولِ "الحقيقةِ اللبنانيّةِ" دونَ سِواها، خصوصًا أنّ الشعبَ اللبنانيَّ يَرصُدُهم بأنظارِه وآمالِه ليُرافعوا موحَّدين عن قضيّتِه وأوجاعِه ومصيرِه على غرارِ ما يَفعل البطريركُ بشارة الراعي في لبنان وأحبارٌ لبنانيّون شُجعان كالمتروبوليت الياس عوده.

دعوةُ قداسةِ البابا بطاركةَ الشرقِ تعني أنَّ قداستَه انتقَل من الاهتمامِ بلبنان، إلى التحرّكِ دُوليًّا لدعمِ حلٍّ سياسيٍّ للبنان. ما كان الفاتيكان اتّخَذَ هذا القرارَ لو لم يَبلُغ الوضعُ اللبنانيُّ مرحلةً حَرِجَة، ولو لم يَلمُسْ تجاوبًا أوّليًا لدى المرجِعيّاتِ الدوليّةِ القادرةِ على رعايةِ الحلّ. منذ بَدأت الاضطراباتُ الدستوريّةُ والسياسيّةُ والأمنيّةُ والاقتصاديّةُ، ودوائرُ الفاتيكان تحضِّرُ بصمتٍ وثَباتٍ لعملٍ دُوَليٍّ يوقفُ انهيارَ لبنان ويَضعُ المرتكزاتِ الأسَاسيّةَ لإنقاذِ "الوطن الرسالة". يجري ذلك بالتنسيقِ المنتظِمِ مع البطريرك المارونيِّ بشارة الراعي الذي بادرَ وطرحَ الحِيادَ وتنفيذَ القراراتِ الدوليّةِ قاعدةً لأيِّ حلٍّ وطنيّ. لقد دَخل لبنانُ مدارَ الحلولِ، لكنْ لا نعرفُ مَداها الزمنيَّ، فكل حلٍّ مصيريٍّ يَتضمّنُ إشكاليّاتٍ تَستدعي المعالَجة بشكلٍ أو بآخَر.

By Courtney Mares -- catholicnewsagency.com -- Hosting a day of prayer for Lebanon with Catholic and Orthodox leaders on Thursday, Pope Francis said that the country should no longer be used to serve “unscrupulous interests.” “Stop using Lebanon and the Middle East for outside interests and profits,” the pope said July 1. “The Lebanese people must be given the opportunity to be the architects of a better future in their land, without undue interference.” Christian leaders from Lebanon spent the day at the Vatican in private roundtable discussions about the future of their country, which is facing a severe economic crisis.

Representatives from Lebanon’s Maronite, Melkite, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Chaldean, Syrian Catholic, and evangelical community came to the Vatican for the day of prayer. The day began with a moment of prayer in front of the high altar at St. Peter’s Basilica before the pope and the patriarchs placed lighted candles in the crypt chapel at the tomb of St. Peter. It ended with members of the Lebanese diaspora community gathered in the world’s largest Catholic basilica to pray for peace together with the pope and the patriarchs, with prayers offered in Arabic, Armenian, and Syriac.

IDC Opposes H.R. 4230 and H.R. 4073, Anti-Lebanese Armed Forces Bills Tel: (202) 351-5480 Email: sarah@indefenseofchristians.org – Sarah Bassil  Washington, DC- In Defense …

by Maggie Gile - Newsweek -- As the country entered its 20th month of an economic and financial crisis, many goods, from gasoline, medicine and electricity, are experiencing drastic shortages. "My life was already difficult," said Ibrahim Arab, a taxi driver who waited for hours in the hot summer to get gas for his car. "And now the gasoline crisis only made things worse." Arab works a second job at a Beirut grocery store, though his monthly income has lost 95 percent of its purchasing power. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below. When he's not working, the 37-year-old father of two drives from one Beirut pharmacy to another, looking for baby formula for his 7-month-old son—any he can find—even though the infant got severe diarrhea and vomiting from an unfamiliar brand. He worries what would happen if his children got really sick. Once among the best in the region, Lebanon's hospitals are struggling amid the country's economic and financial crisis that has led to daily power outages that last for hours, shortages of diesel fuel for backup generators, and a lack of medical equipment and drugs. After 20 months of suffering with no end in sight, a new reality is setting in for most of Lebanon's estimated 6 million people: Days filled with severe shortages—from spare parts for cars to medicine, fuel and other basic goods in the import-dependent country.

The crisis, which began in late 2019, is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by a post-civil war political class that has accumulated debt and done little to encourage local industries, forcing the country to rely on imports for almost everything. The Lebanese pound has nose-dived, banks have clamped down on withdrawals and transfers, and hyperinflation has flared. The liquidity crunch is crippling the government's ability to provide fuel, electricity and basic services. A shortage of dollars is gutting imports of medical supplies and energy. The fuel shortage has especially raised fears that the country could become paralyzed. Even private generators, used by the Lebanese for decades, have to be switched off for hours to conserve diesel. "We are really in hell," tweeted Firas Abiad, director general of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, which leads the country's coronavirus fight. Despite a heat wave, the hospital decided Monday to turn off the air conditioning, except in medical departments. Electricity cuts have affected internet connections in various cities, while bakeries warn they might have to close due to fuel shortages. The situation has become critical in recent weeks, with scuffles and shootings at gas pumps, including one in the northern city of Tripoli, where the son of one station's owner was killed.