Patriarch fears return of arms

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- The patriarch of Lebanon's Maronite Catholic church has warned that Lebanon's rival political factions are engaged in an arms race that has become like the weapons stockpiling of the country's 15-year civil war.

"All the parties have started again to be armed as if we had gone back more than 20 years and learned nothing from the tragedies, abominations and difficulties that we went through," said Cardinal Nasrallah P. Sfeir, Maronite patriarch.

Sfeir's comments, made during a Feb. 25 homily, came after several explosive devices were found around the country. With tensions running high because of Lebanon's ongoing political crisis, the discovery sparked fears that an attack was being planned.

COPYRIGHT 2007 National Catholic Reporter
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning