Matar Says Bkirki Spiritual Summit to Focus on Baabda Vacuum, Protests

The Maronite bishop of Beirut, Boulos Matar, said Friday that a Christian-Muslim summit scheduled to be held in Bkirki next week is aimed at stressing the importance of swiftly electing a president and discussing the demands of anti-government demonstrators.

Matar told al-Joumhouria newspaper that the summit which will be held on Monday will focus on two main issues – the election of a head of state as soon as possible and the demands of the people.

The bishop said all spiritual leaders have been invited to the summit “particularly that the security situation and street protests require a quick solution to the crisis.”

Matar hoped that the meeting would limit tension “because we can no longer stand idle to the clashes (taking place) in downtown Beirut.”

Several anti-government demonstrations have shaken the Lebanese capital, with protesters expressing their anger at the authorities for failing to find a solution to the waste crisis, which erupted when Lebanon's main landfill in Naameh, south of Beirut, shut down last month.

The “You Stink” movement is planning another protest on Saturday. The grouping is a reflection of the growing frustration with an aging and corrupt political class that has failed to show concern for people's woes.

In his remarks to al-Joumhouria, Matar said Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi continues to exert efforts to resolve the presidential crisis “because all crises in Lebanon are the result of the absence of a head of state.”

He also revealed that France and the Vatican are mediating to pressure the rival parties to fill the vacuum at Baabda Palace following the end of President Michel Suleiman's tenure in May last year.

Monday's spiritual summit in Bkirki will be preceded by a consultative meeting that will be held in Dar al-Fatwa on Sunday.

Al-Joumhouria quoted Dar al-Fatwa sources as saying that Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Daryan and Patriarch al-Rahi continue to hold consultations to come up with a united stance against the turmoil in the country.

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