NNA ndash; Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, John X Yazigi, on Thursday welcomed at the Patriarchatersquo;s headquarters in Balamand, Caretaker Minister of Information, Ziad Makary, accompanied by his Media Advisor Misbah Al-Ali, in the presence of Head of Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery, George Yacoub, and a number of priests.
After the meeting, Minister Makary said: ldquo;This visit comes at a very critical time that Lebanon and the region are going through. It is a necessary visit, because the Patriarch comes from a land that has been tormented and has experienced wars, killing, displacement and exodus.rdquo;
Minister Makary described the situation in the region as ldquo;very badrdquo;, referring to what is happening in the occupied Palestine and southern Lebanon.
The Minister stressed that quot;we mustnbsp;remainnbsp;steadfast in our land nbsp;with cultural and religious diversity as well as the diversity of our heritage.rdquo;
He said: quot;Because our country is built on dialogue, we must present our problems despite the crises that Lebanon is experiencing, including: the security situation in the south and the repeated Israeli attacks, in addition to the crisis of electing a president of the republic.quot;
Minister Makary then tourednbsp;the Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand, where Archimandrite Yacoub gave a detailed explanation of the history of the monastery and itsnbsp;icons.
Patriarch Yazigi alsonbsp;presented Minister Makary with a number of religious books and icons.
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