"But the age of Lebanon has exceeded 2,000 years and the age of the Maronite sect has also exceeded 1,500 years," Sfeir said before a delegation of mayors and mukhtars from the Bekaa region of Deir al-Amar. "Despite all the painful moments the Maronite Church has gone through, it has remained [present] up until now."

Political and social delegations continued to flock to Bkirki Monday, expressing their condemnation of the attack launched by former Cabinet Minister Suleiman Franjieh against the patriarch last week.

Sfeir said despite the fact that the country was going through difficult times, the people have to face it with "good-heartedness," calling on the Lebanese to "contain" each other.

"We have many problems," Sfeir said. "We are not the only source of these problems, they also arise from around us. We have to listen to the voice of our conscience and that of our country in order to save the latter."

Sfeir called for unifying efforts so Lebanon would "again" be a country of love, forgiveness and peace.

"What happened has happened. We cannot change it, though we felt sorry for it. We are all brothers and the country is our responsibility," he said.

During an interview last Wednesday, Franjieh, who heads the opposition Marada Movement, lashed out at Sfeir, describing him as an employee of the US and French embassies. Franjieh also urged the patriarch to resign.

The head of Parliament's Administration and Justice Committee, MP Robert Ghanem, said after meeting Sfeir on Monday: "Attacking Bkirki means attacking Lebanon's raison d'etre."

"Bkirki is the core of coexistence and Lebanon's real message in this Arab East," he said.

Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, meanwhile, warned France not to be dragged into the US project in the region, calling on French officials to halt the "dramatic" change in France's Middle East policy since President Nicolas Sarkozy came to power.

"We warn France that the US administration wants to use is as a tool for its project by pushing it into the heart of the problems plaguing the region," Fadlallah said in a statement.

He also lashed out at Arab nations for not having concrete programs to curb influences from outside the region.

Higher Shiite Council vice president Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan urged Lebanese politicians on Monday to overcome discords and deal with the current political crisis "with a spirit of national responsibility."

"We want politicians to open the channels of dialogue between them in a bid to surpass all obstacles preventing them from reaching solutions," Qabalan said. "The continuation of discord is no longer acceptable."

Qabalan said the Lebanese people should not remain imprisoned by politicians' speeches and disagreements.

"We want Lebanon to recover its security, stability and peace," he said. "We want the social and economic crises to come to an end." - The Daily Star