Priest Warns of Security Risk in Pope's Visit to Lebanon
The pope's safety could be at risk during a planned visit to Lebanon next month, a Jesuit priest who was recently forced to leave Syria warned Wednesday.
Pope Benedict XVI is due to visit Lebanon from September 14-16 to bring a message of peace and call for greater respect for religious pluralism.
Even though his special protective car -- the "popemobile" -- has been sent to Beirut, questions are swirling about the safety of a trip to a country linked to the raging conflict in Syria.
The pope "must ask for help from a secret service that can guarantee his security. Because the Lebanese services are not sufficient in this situation," Father Paolo Dall'Oglio warned.
Dall'Oglio was kicked out of Syria in June over his activism.
He added that Lebanon is fraught with risk because the current Lebanese government "is in some ways still tied to the Syrian regime".
Christians and Muslims pray side by side at an ancient Syrian monastery that Dall'Oglio restored, and the priest has been a constant voice calling for a democratic solution to the Syrian crisis.
The priest said he hoped the pope would show that Christians "support human rights, are for civil emancipation and have taken a historic stance against political corruption and totalitarianism."
"They must be sincere partners with Muslims in the construction of a brotherly and non-discriminatory Middle East."
Syria has a small but influential Christian minority that has traditionally enjoyed harmonious relations with the Muslim majority as well as with the regime of President Bashar Assad and his father and predecessor, Hafez.
over 11 years
Amen
over 11 years
Right prime suspect, peace with isreal should be discussed more openly, the radicals have taken over on both sides of the divide, the isrealis with lieberman and natanyahu and us with hizb allah Iran.....war is not the answer, total distruction and death cant be the answer.
over 11 years
And what does "peace with israel" have to do with it? The arab jews have no business occupying a fellow arab country and participating in the zionist project established by european jews who considered the arab jews to be as worthy as toe nails.
Kudos to the arab jews who refused to become "israeli" and thus giving up their real heritage in order to be third class arabs among first class white ashkenazis.
Jews are one thing and israel is another. Not all jews are for "israel" therefor just because we support the patriotic arab jews it certainly doesnt mean we want anything to do with israel, wich is the anti-christ and an enemy of all three abrahamic religions.
Let's not forget there are jews, real arab jews. We all need to pray together and restore peace in the region.