Cardinal Aghagianian's Remains Moved to Beirut
Fady Noun 2024-09-12 16:27 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
While official statements have been sparse and lacking in detail, the figure of Cardinal Grégoire Pierre XV Aghagianian (1895-1971) is emerging more clearly as the reasons for transferring his remains to Lebanon are now better understood. This solemn transfer, taking place at Martyrs' Square, comes at his own request. Born in Georgia in 1895 and ...
September 8: Nativity of Mary, Wonder of God
Fady Noun 2024-09-07 16:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
The birth of Virgin Mary, commemorated on September 8, is, alongside the births of Jesus and John the Baptist, one of only three holy births celebrated by both Eastern and Western Churches. This highlights the central importance of this feast, despite its relative modesty compared to more prominent celebrations like Christmas and Easter, which are ...
August 4: 'A Thunder Day' in the Vatican for Victims' Parents
Fady Noun 2024-08-27 16:01 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
“A thunder day!” Cardiologist Nazih al-Adem is elated with the outcome of his visit to the Vatican, a sentiment echoed by all the parents of the victims of the August 4, 2020, Beirut port explosion. On August 26, Pope Francis and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, held a lengthy meeting with them. Fueled by a resolve ...
August 4 Victims' Families Head to Vatican
Fady Noun 2024-08-19 12:27 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
A delegation representing the families of the victims of the August 4, 2020, Beirut port explosion is en route to the Vatican, according to informed sources. They will be received on August 26 by Pope Francis and Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The group consists of approximately twenty people, including spokespersons for the victims' ...
Envisioning Lebanon Amidst Historical Turmoil
Fady Noun 2024-07-21 10:23 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Is Lebanon's Fate Truly Tragic? Not Necessarily. Certainly battered by history, but condemned? Not if the Lebanese people recognize their role in the current disorder. From the early days of this noble national vocation, initiated by Patriarch Howayek during negotiations with the Third French Republic, he criticized the clientelism and favoritism ...
The Martyrdom of Hussein at Kerbala and the Cult of Sacrifice
Fady Noun 2024-07-14 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
On the night of July 16 to 17, Shiites observe Ashura (from the word "achra," meaning ten), commemorating a pivotal event in their community's history: the assassination of Imam Hussein, the Prophet's grandson, in Kerbala, Iraq, in October 680 A.D. (Muharram 61 in the Islamic calendar). Imam Hussein was fleeing Damascus and the Caliph Yazid, with ...
Should Lebanon Be Sacrificed to Win Back Palestine?
Fady Noun 2024-07-08 10:03 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
"The Maronite Patriarch shouldn’t apologize," asserts the Maronite Archbishop Emeritus of Beirut, Boulos Matar. The Shiite duo (Amal-Hezbollah) wants an apology from Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai for saying in one of his homilies that he refuses to let southern Lebanon become a launching pad for "terrorist" actions. However, Boulos Matar ...
The Re-foundation of Lebanon
Fady Noun 2024-06-30 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
The significance of recent events went largely unnoticed. Following a meeting at Bkerké among religious leaders from Lebanon's diverse communities, dual calls for peace prayers were issued—one by the Patriarch and the other by the Mufti of the Republic—emphasizing a collective rejection of the conflict in which Hezbollah has embroiled ...
Parolin in Beirut Sunday: A Pastoral Visit with Diplomatic Undertones
Fady Noun 2024-06-22 12:28 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
At the initial invitation of the president of the Lebanese Association of the Knights of the Order of Malta, Marwan Sehnaoui, an interfaith summit has been scheduled at Bkerkeh on Tuesday for Pope Francis' main collaborator, Pietro Parolin, who is expected in Beirut on Sunday. Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is expected to ...
Zahle: Bicentennial of a “Eucharistic City”
Fady Noun 2024-06-01 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
For the Christians of Lebanon and for Lebanon as a whole, the presidential vacancy is "worse than the plague." It jeopardizes the future of the Lebanese "political entity," stated the Greek-Catholic Archbishop of Zahle, Ibrahim Ibrahim, during the Feast of Corpus Christi, which the city has faithfully commemorated since 1825, nearly two centuries ...
From Mount Hermon's Slopes to Naqoura, the “Sacred Cause” of Reconstruction
Fady Noun 2024-05-21 19:59 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Nawraj sets up a crisis cell comprising architects and agronomists, led by Jean Chamoun. In the absence of any clear prospect for an end to hostilities in southern Lebanon, the Nawraj association, led by Fouad Abounader, has decided to take action and start assessing the losses and needs of the localities subjected to Israeli bombardments. In a ...
Will Love Marriages Save Lebanon?
Fady Noun 2024-05-18 13:06 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
What if, for a Maronite, being Lebanese was simply a way of being Christian? And what if, for a Muslim or a Druze from Lebanon, being Lebanese was just a unique way of being Muslim? Not by abandoning their faith, but by infusing it with a spirit of peaceful, friendly, and inclusive benevolence. This is the impression conveyed by the photo of ...
Patriarch Sfeir’s Pertinent Call: 'Lebanon First, Lebanon Sovereign'
Fady Noun 2024-05-12 16:38 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
“Every patriarch persistently restates and renews the role that the Maronite Church must fulfill as the backbone of the Lebanese nation." These words by Patriarch Bechara Rai, as recounted by Isabelle Dillman in her book Au Coeur du chaos (In the Heart of Chaos), capture perfectly the enduring duty and fervor that defined the life of Patriarch ...
Mseitbeh 1970: A Missed Encounter with the Virgin Mary
Fady Noun 2024-05-11 15:04 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
April 8, 1970. Young Thérèse Abdallah is doing her homework in the study hall of the Syriac Orthodox school in Mseitbeh, a predominantly Sunni neighborhood in Beirut. She is the eldest in her family, and her father is the steward of the local bishop, Athanassios Ephrem Barsoum. In Mseitbeh, Muslims and Christians live side by side, but it is ...
Holy Fire of Jerusalem: Orthodox Easter’s Recurring Marvel
Fady Noun 2024-05-04 08:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Today, on Holy Saturday, the Orthodox world will celebrate with joy the appearance of the Holy Fire, also known as the Holy Flame. This mysterious physical phenomenon is characterized by the sudden appearance of a light-density fire on the tombstone where Christ’s lifeless body was placed after his crucifixion. This fire rapidly spreads and does ...
Jerusalem, Through Peace, Not by the Sword
Fady Noun 2024-04-27 10:33 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
In the "low-intensity war" it has been waging since October 8 against Israel in support of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah has officially mourned the deaths of 273 of its men. But up until now, these sacrifices have not earned the party any gains, and their impact on what is happening in Gaza is almost nil. On the other hand, they have resulted ...
The Looming Presence of April 13
Fady Noun 2024-04-13 11:31 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Machiavelli said it, yet any sailboat owner will confirm it: “One can initiate a war (or set sail) at will, but concluding it whenever desired is not always within reach,” nor is returning to port. The Lebanese Civil War, ignited on April 13, 1975, evidently lingers unresolved. Following the incidents in Tayouneh (October 14, 2021) and ...
The Royal Road of Citizenship, a Book by Tarek Mitri
Fady Noun 2024-04-06 10:58 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
How to live honorably as Christians in the Arab-Muslim world. This is the central question posed in the book "Christians in Arab Politics, Reclaiming the Pact of Citizenship," a short essay by Tarek Mitri (128 pages), former Minister, former Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Libya, and current Dean of Saint George University in ...
A Delegation From Makassed Visits the Vatican for the First Time
Fady Noun 2024-04-04 10:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
A delegation from the Makassed Islamic Association, led by Mohammed Sammak and the association's president Faisal Sinno, discreetly visited the Vatican on March 28, without any media frenzy. This marked the delegation's first visit to the Holy See in its 138-year history. The delegation’s members were warmly received by the Secretary of State, ...
Pope to Christians of the Holy Land: It Is Good for You to Stay
Fady Noun 2024-03-30 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
On the occasion of Holy Week, Pope Francis addressed a letter to the Catholics of the Holy Land, encouraging them to remain in the land of Christ. "A land where you want to stay and where it is good for you to stay," the Holy Father emphasized. It goes without saying that this advice is directed at Christians who are tempted to leave or forced to ...
Retired Soldiers’ Ultimate Battle for Their Salaries
Fady Noun 2024-03-09 12:23 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
The Book of Ecclesiasticus is one of the Bible’s most accessible texts, due to its pertinence and its ability to impart a wealth of practical wisdom. It most specifically refers to matters that are "gratifying to God," such as "neighbors who live in harmony," and others that are more sorrowful, such as "the soldier who ages in poverty.” All ...
For Lebanon to Attain Nationhood, It Requires Numerous Affirmations
Fady Noun 2024-03-02 16:23 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Georges Naccache's insight holds weight. Two negations do not form a nation. The proof! A plethora of negations wouldn't suffice to form one either. For Lebanon to attain nationhood, it requires numerous affirmations, notably an authentic Christian affirmation. The Assembly of the Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon recently convened a day ...
Deathly Visages
Fady Noun 2024-02-24 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
There are around two hundred Lebanese who have fallen, arms in hand, in a “low-intensity” war sparked by Hezbollah against Israel. Today, they are deathly visages. For many, their demise came in the early weeks of war measured much like a pregnant woman counting the months and days leading to childbirth. Sometimes, they met their end in ...
A Fragmented Nation
Fady Noun 2024-02-17 11:34 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Surrounding the El-Amine Mosque built by his father, Rafic Hariri, a significant crowd reserved a true moment of celebration for the political heir on February 14. We would have hoped to see a broader smile on Saad Hariri's face, considering the exuberance of the crowd. However, the man remained tense, wearing a strained half-smile. Undoubtedly, ...
Morounoye Lo Mtaxe, What Bogs Us Down
Fady Noun 2024-02-09 09:31 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Morounoye lo mtaxe, which means “the Maronite is undisciplined,” is essentially the first "lesson" that the Maronite bishop of Batroun, Mounir Khairallah, imparted to his theology students in Kaslik at the beginning of the year. It's a lesson with a dual nature, both commendable and bitter. Yes, Maronites are strong-willed, and there's nothing ...
Israel’s Future Lies in Lebanon
Fady Noun 2024-02-01 10:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
President Charles Helou (1913-2001) titled one of his written works Liban, cette part de Dieu (Lebanon, This Part of God). He should have said, "Lebanon, this dream of God." Lebanon, defined by its historical calling, is a nation in the making, not a static entity. And it always will be. The ongoing struggle for Lebanon's soul will never stop, ...
The Week of Unity: A Prayer Gathering Permeates Beirut’s Skies
Fady Noun 2024-01-24 21:02 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Venturing beyond conventional paths, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18-25), born out of a close collaboration between the Maronite hierarchy and secular believers, was marked this year by an exceptional ecumenical gathering. This half-liturgical concert, half-prayer meeting event was led by a choir of 250 singers and the Lebanese ...
Saint Charbel: Uniting East and West in Peace and Harmony
Fady Noun 2024-01-20 14:06 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The Maronite Church and the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome celebrated a very special event: the installation of a mosaic portraying Saint Charbel, placed in close proximity to the tomb of Saint Paul VI. It was Saint Paul VI who presided over the canonization mass of the hermit from Annaya on October 9, 1977. During that time, it’s worth noting ...
Saint Charbel Mosaic Set to Be Installed at the Vatican on Friday
Fady Noun 2024-01-19 08:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Starting Friday morning, a mosaic featuring Saint Charbel will adorn one of the walls surrounding the tomb of Saint Paul VI in the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. The moment promises to be both poignant and solemn. Following the installment of the statue of Saint Maron in one of its exterior niches in 2011, the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome ...
Rise Up and Return to Lebanon
Fady Noun 2023-12-24 09:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
"From the cradle to the crucifixion, God reveals to us a profound mystery." I woke up this morning with this familiar Christmas refrain. The mystery here isn’t a detective's puzzle. It’s a reality beyond reason. Or rather, both beyond reason and within reach, as God became man and, as a human being, cannot be incomprehensible. Not ...