Bishop Matar Calls for Inter-Islamic Dialogue

BEIRUT: Maronite Bishop of Beirut Boulos Matar called Sunday for dialogue between different Muslim religious groups to end the “purposeless” struggle, stressing that Lebanon was the best example of religious coexistence.

“[We] need an Islamic-Islamic dialogue to save the Eastern people from all the wars that threaten every person's life, and which could go on for years without any beneficial purpose,” Matar said in a ceremony honoring journalists “who sustained good cooperation with the Catholic Media Center.”

Matar, who is also president of the Episcopal Media Committee, said that Lebanon was behind the invention of the concept of inter-religious coexistence.

“It is a Lebanese invention par excellence, and we are proud of it,” he said.

Stressing that Lebanon was a source of hope for the Muslim and Christian nations around the world, Matar said:

“We love Lebanon, the nation of coexistence and, in the words of [late] pope Saint [John Paul II], a letter for the East.

“It is also a letter of human coexistence for the Christians and Muslims of the West.”

Matar also called on journalists to play a constructive role in sustaining this coexistence.

“I call on the journalists to not only report the truth, but also to build the bridges between [different] communities,” he said.