Sfeir Warns against Rapid Rise in Christian Emigration, Sarkozy Vows Not Leave Lebanon Vulnerable

Sfeir Warns against Rapid Rise in Christian Emigration, Sarkozy Vows Not Leave Lebanon Vulnerable to Conflicts

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir warned during a meeting with French President Nicholas Sarkozy at Elysee Palace against the rapid rise in Christian emigration. Last week, Pope Benedict XVI warned that the Christian community in the Middle East would soon disappear if no solution to regional conflicts was found.

The Pope had said that the rising political Islam and its extreme currents were a threat to Christians and Muslims alike.

Sfeir quoted Sarkozy as saying that the Christian presence in the Middle East was a "guarantee against the rise extremism."

Sarkozy also pledged "not to leave Lebanon once again sink in a sea of differences and regional and international conflicts that loom on the horizon."

Lebanon is the last "christian" country in the Middle East. The christian population used to be 70%. From what I understand, it is now below 40%. The See of the Maronite Church is in there. Here is a brief history.

The Moslem conquests of the seventh century had a profound effect on the church of Antioch and the region in which the Monastery of St. Maron was located. Maronite immigration to Lebanon, which had begun some time before, was intensified, especially since the enemies of the Maronites sided with the Moslem armies against the Maronites.
In 694 the Emperor Justinian Rhinotmeteus sent troops against the Maronites. Soldiers attacked the monastery and killed 500 monks, and went toward Tripoli, Lebanon to capture John Maron. However, they were ambushed on the way and two of their leaders were killed. This was only one of several persecutions which forced John Maron to flee several times. St. John Maron died around 707 in the Monastery of St. Maron in Kfarhai.
Persecutions by heretics and the Arabs resulted in the destruction of the Monastery of St. Maron and the definitive establishment of the Patriarchate in Mount Lebanon. The historian, Patriarch Stephen Douaihi, tells us that this took place under John Maron II in 939. The historian Massoudi, who died in 956, informs us that the Monastery of St. Maron was destroyed by the sultan reigning at his time. In Lebanon the Patriarchate was successively located in the Monasteries of Ianouh, Maiphouq, Kfarhai, and Qannoubin (in the "Valley of the Saints"). Patriarch Douaihi tells us that due to persecution the patriarchal see was changed fourteen times from its beginning in 685 until it was finally settled in Qannoubin in 1440 by Patriarch John al-Jaji.
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The Maronites may need to go back to the caves again. One thing is certain, they will never give up their faith or their land!

Deir Es-Salib or the Monastery of the Cross

The rocky cave-hermitage of Deir es-Salib draws the attention of visitors as much for its difficulty of access as the poverty and humility of its appearance. Even with ropes and ladders it was difficult to reach the cells of these anchorites, who deliberately cut themselves off from the world and lived only for the love of God. Inscriptions and frescoes, some going back to at least the 13th century, can still be seen here although they are badly preserved. One can make out Chalcedonian remains, writing in Arabic and Syriac, as well as scraps of frescos badly damaged by erosion and vandalism. Deir es-Salib attracted hermits and monks of all sects and was also a rallying point for Lebanese Christianity in early times.

Please remember the christians of the Middle East in your prayers!

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