The deputy head of the “Lebanese Forces” party, Representative George Adwan, stressed that “the memory of Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir reminds us that we are the ones who choose the president of our republic, that is, who has the best relations with the Arab world and is free in his decisions.” He indicated in an interview with Radio Free Lebanon. And that “whoever makes the third independence is every Lebanese who enjoys the spirit of the Lebanese resistance that puts Lebanon first and foremost, and wants sovereignty and dignity. He added that what the Patriarchate is doing today through Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi is the path of resistance itself, and we derive from them today in the Lebanese Forces party the spirit of resistance in approach and action, and we will not sacrifice Lebanon’s free history for the sake of any state or gains.
And recalling the positions of Patriarch Sfeir, he pointed out that “the statement of the bishops and the reconciliation of the mountain were the basis for the second independence after the assassination of the martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, when Patriarch Sfeir realized that defending independence is an act of partnership between the Lebanese, and whoever wants to strike independence is the one who interferes between them. He said that the revolution on March 14 did not involve any violence or a strike, as Sfeir liked it, who refused bloodshed, clashes and the use of force to expel the Syrian army from Lebanon.
Adwan affirmed, “We do not remember Patriarch Sfeir today only, but every day. He is a person who combines human qualities, with culture, humility, self-denial, and steadfastness. He reminds us of the history of the sacrificial Maronites. He was the refuge for any persecutor, and he adhered to freedom.”
-Regarding his relationship with him, he said: “I used to participate in Sunday masses in Bkerke periodically to put him in an atmosphere of comprehensive national action to consecrate the sovereignty and independence of the state, and I found in him the features of depth and spirit of tolerance.”
He emphasized that “he did not sense any fear in Sfeir, who stood in the face of difficulties and overcame them. He recalled the preparation for the reconciliation of the mountain, when Sfeir insisted on the visit, defying the many pressures with calm and determination, in addition to the night of the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, when he sent Bishop Paul Matar to attend the meeting in Koraytem, and he also absolutely refused to visit Syria and the Palace of the Muhajireen.
