Today, May 12, marks the 4th anniversary of the passing of the former Lebanese Patriarch of the Maronite Church, Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir. He served as the spiritual leader of Lebanon’s largest Christian community during some of the harshest days of the country’s 1975-90 civil war. His outspoken and robust personality played a pivotal role in shaping the country’s post-war politics. He was one of the staunchest proponents of state integrity.
Various reactions were observed on this remembrance. Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces party, tweeted, “The misery of mediocre times – Anniversary of the passing of Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir.”
بئس هذا الزمن الرديء.
– ذكرى رحيل الكاردينال مار نصرالله بطرس صفير#البطريرك_صفير pic.twitter.com/arPSJxt0Mi
— Samir Geagea (@DrSamirGeagea) May 12, 2023
For his part, Head of the Renewal Bloc, MP Ashraf Rifi, tweeted, “We remember Patriarch Sfeir on the fourth anniversary of his passing. He was the architect of the second independence, the resistor against occupation, and a firm believer in coexistence. He served as an important symbol and guarantor. It is through people like him that we shall preserve and protect our country and safeguard its unity and sovereignty.”
نستذكر البطريرك صفير في الذكرى الرابعة لرحيله، فهو صانع الإستقلال الثاني، المقاوم بوجه الوصاية، والمؤمن بصدق بالعيش المشترك.
كانت هذه الهامة الرمز والضمانة، وبأمثاله نحافظ على الوطن ونحميه ونصون وحدته وسيادته. pic.twitter.com/mP1yjI5J7k— General Ashraf Rifi (@Ashraf_Rifi) May 12, 2023
MP Marwan Hamadeh noted, “Patriarch Sfeir has become a part of Lebanon’s history. I hope that the Vatican will recognize his ecclesiastical and spiritual role and dedicate the Synod issued by the Apostolic See for the sake of Lebanon.
“Patriarch Sfeir might be worried about the current situation in Lebanon, but his influence in heaven is strong,” Hamadeh added during an interview on a local TV station.
