Thousands of Lebanese pay tribute to slain Pierre Gemayel;
Pope Benedict denounces the killing and pleads for calm

(23 Nov 2006) : Tens of thousands of Lebanese poured into central Beirut to pay tribute to assassinated Christian leader Pierre Gemayel on Thursday, turning his funeral into a show of defiance against Syria and its Hezbollah allies. Crowds of mourners carrying Lebanese flags and those of Christian factions, including Gemayel's Phalange Party, packed Martyrs' Square in Beirut before the funeral at 1 p.m. local time in the St George Maronite Cathedral.

The Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir presided over the funeral. He said he considers “the murder of Minister Gemayel as a new blow to much desired peace in the country after years of war” and he called attention to the necessity of keeping calm and not reacting violently, because Lebanon is no longer able to pay the price of violence. The patriarch appealed to the people’s conscience, that they may double efforts to stop this campaign of violence, expressing his solidarity with the family of Minister Gemayel.

Thousands of soldiers and police were deployed in the capital which was at a standstill. Shops, schools, banks and government offices were closed to let people join the mourning. 34-year old Gemayel, a Maronite Catholic and the son of former President Amin Gemayel, was shot dead on Tuesday near Beirut on the eve of the Lebanese independence day. This is the sixth killing of an anti-Syrian figure in less than two years in Lebanon. Gemayel was among the Christian political leaders who led protests against Syrian influence in Lebanon, after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik l Hariri in February 2005.

During his regular weekly Wednesday General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI denounced the "brutal attack" that took the life of Pierre Gemayel. Offering his prayers for Lebanon, the Pontiff urged the people of that country to avoid violence. "In the face of the dark forces that seek to destroy the country," he said, "I invite all Lebanese not to allow themselves to be overcome by hatred." The Pope encouraged all world leaders "who have the fate of this region at heart" to work for a negotiated peace in the Middle East, bringing an end to "the various situations of injustice that have existed for too many years."