NNA - Maronite bishops issued a statement Saturday upon the conclusion of their annual retreat in Bkirky which lasted over a week, at the invitation of Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Rahi, calling for an end of the fighting in Syria and a return to dialogue in order for its people and those of the region to live in peace, strongly censuring those who "add fuel to the fire."



Maronite archdiocese of Beirut, Boulos Matar, read the statement which pointed out that the entire region, particularly Syria, needed a return of the spirit of understanding and dialogue so that all citizens
can live in an atmosphere of freedom, dignity and equality without distinction or discrimination, urging conflicting parties and their allies to put an end to this ranging fire and help the Syrians to reconcile among themselves, so that displaced Syrians can go back to their villages.


On that note, Matar strongly denounced continuous acts of kidnapping, shedding light on the abduction of Bishops Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi.


"We are monitoring with great concern the security unrest in the country, which is negatively impacting Lebanon's economy," the statement read in its comment on the local situation in the country, mainly recent violence in the northern city of Tripoli and Bekaa.


"We denounce the long-term extension of parliament's mandate, the failure to reach consensus over a new electoral law, and inability to hold the elections, harms Lebanon's image of diversity and democracy."


=============R.Z.