Christian migration from Mid-East at heart of patriarchs’ meeting
by Youssef Hourany

A meeting of the seven leaders of the eastern Churches opened yesterday in Lebanon. The leaders criticized some Arab states that treated Christians as second class citizens and fundamentalist groups that portrayed them as linked to the West

Beirut (AsiaNews) – How to stop the emigration of Christians – guarantors of human rights – from the Middle East was the main topic of the first day of a meeting of the seven patriarchs of the East. The gathering opened yesterday in Bzoummar, the seat of the Armenian-Catholic patriarchate on Mount Lebanon. From the start, participants lamented conditions facing Christians in some Arab states, where they were treated as second class citizens, made to feel like “strangers in their homeland” and hence pushed to emigrate.

Significantly titled “The Church and the earth”, the Ordinary Session of the meeting of the seven patriarchs of the East started yesterday, Tuesday 17 October, with an appeal to all Christians of the East. Ending on Friday, the meeting gathers the following patriarchs: Maronite, Nasrallah Sfeir, Greek-Melchite, Gregory III Laham, Coptic, Antonios Nagib, Syrian-Catholic, Boutros VIII Abdel Ahad, Latin of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, Chaldean, Emmanuel III Delly, as well as the host, the Armenian Catholic patriarch, Narsis Bedros XIX.

The Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon, Mgr Luigi Gatti, greeted the patriarchs and underlined the importance and meaning of the chosen topic. He also stressed the value of the Christian presence in this land, because “Christians must understand that their staying is the only guarantee of the survival of symbolic values of independence, pluralism, denominational balance and respect for human rights”. The pontifical representative expressed hope that dialogue would be strengthened, as it is the only means capable of fighting fear, anguish and neglect. the rest