What is you exact relationship with the Maronite Church in Lebanon?
The Maronite patriarch is the patriarch for all Maronites. So I am under his jurisdiction. Q: Does he ever give you directions? A: No, but he visits America every couple of years, and I bring him around to all the political leaders he wishes to see. From the President, Vice President, Secretary of State, and the United Nations. Each time I need to be careful because I bring him that as a church man but also as a civic leader, so I can’t have one group or another dominate that, I have to guide the process. Q: So he’s a civil leader? A: He is not really a civil leader, he’s a religious leader but his civil role is very important. He does not have, like sheikh “Hassan Nassrallah”, a group of people he can command to do things. It is different for the patriarch. He is only a religious leader, but his second role is as a moral voice. When Maronites at any level involve themselves in politics, they don’t represent the whole Maronite church, they represent the best of their Christian commitme
