Speaking at the conclusion of a three-day Maronite synod, Sfeir said Christians were "selling their land and property. Out of despair, they are leaving in search of a new homeland."

"This is no source of reassurance," said the Maronite patriarch.

"There is a wedge; there's a conflict in (Christian) ranks and in the way of thinking," he said, apparently alluding to the widening divide between supporters of Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and their rivals in Gen. Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement.

At the core of the dispute is Aoun's support for President Lahoud, who Geagea and his allies seek to remove from power. Aoun, however, has indicated that if he were to be made president, he might support Lahoud's early departure.

"Everyone is chasing after his own personal interests, without any regard for the interests of the nation," said Sfeir. "No one can be happy alone, happiness has to be shared."

He concluded: "We wish for all (the Lebanese), especially the young men and women, to heed" the spiritual guidance released by the synod, so they may "recover belief in God, in their homeland and in themselves."

Source: Naharnet, Ya Libnan