Bkerke Summit: A legal committee will be tasked to draw text to fend off religious offenses

The Christian-Muslim Spiritual summit held at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke, whereby numerous pending topics were discussed. Upon the release of the final statement, the summit denounced the film "Innocence of Muslims", and mentioned that a legal committee will also be tasked to draw a suitable text to fend off offenses towards all three major religions.            

Praising President Sleiman's wise decisions and his persistence on holding dialogue, the summit stressed that concerned parties should stay committed to the national talks since "no other choice to tackle the challenges facing Lebanon is available."           

At the inauguration of the spiritual summit Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai called on the international community Monday to put an end to the defamation of religions, considering that any offense to Muslims is an offense to all religions.                    

On the economic situation, Rai said “we will head towards the abyss if the state does not take necessary measures”. He called on the Lebanese state to assume its responsibilities towards the severe economic risk facing the country.                   

In its final statement the summit mentioned that the Pope's visit came in due time, lifting Lebanon's rank.                 

The summit also agreed that the values echoed by Pope Benedict XVI throughout his visit to Lebanon should go beyond the country's borders considering that the Pope's emphasis on Lebanon's message of coexistence is a renewal of the message called for by Pope John Paul II.                

The summit was attended by representatives of Christian and Muslim communities.