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Church in the WorldCardinal warns of ?blind? arms raceLebanon Michael Hirst. - 3 March 2007THE MARONITE Patriarch has warned that all Lebanon's rival factions are rearming and urged political leaders not to engage in an arms race that could leave the country susceptible to renewed fighting, writes Michael Hirst. Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the spiritual head of Lebanon's Christians, said that the weapons stockpiling harked back to the bitter days of the country's 1975-90 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 which we went through," said Patriarch Sfeir during his sermon last Sunday at Bkirke, outside Beirut. The patriarch's message followed the discovery of several explosive devices across the country, raising fears that an attack was being planned along the lines of the 13 February twin bus bombings that killed three people in the Christian mountain area north of Beirut. His warning came nearly four months after protesters set up camp outside the Beirut office of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora demanding the resignation of a Government they claim is corrupt, and unrepresentative due to the resignation of all five Shia cabinet ministers last November. Patriarch Sfeir criticised the "suffocating" protest for causing job losses and the closure of businesses as well as sparking an exodus of workers from the country. He called on rival leaders to reconcile their differences peacefully in an atmosphere of mutual respect. |
 In this week’s issueMaking markets moral Iron and velvet Love in a Catholic climate Someone to talk to A good Lent takes planning South American surprise Can the Church support abuse victims on its own terms? Elena Curti Is the Church too slow in recognising that academies are the future for Catholic schools? Christopher Lamb Goodwin the scapegoat Elena Curti The pain of being a coeliac Catholic Sr M, guest contributor The Church's moral obligation to victims of clerical sexual abuse Speeches from this week's conference in Rome This week in Rome bishops and religious superiors met at the first Vatican-backed symposium devoted to forging a global response to the crisis of clerical sexual abuse that has disgraced ... Archbishop voices 'shame and sorrow' after priest's abuse trial Longley to visit parishes 'damaged' by Walsh Today, Tuesday 7 February, Bede Walsh, who served as a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, has been convicted by a jury, following a 10-day trial at Stoke-on-Trent ...
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