The commander of UNIFIL, after having visited in recent days the vice president of the high Shiite Islamic council, Sheikh Abed Al Amiir Kaabalaan, was received today by the grand mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Mohamad Abdel El-Latif Derian and, subsequently, by the Christian patriarch of the Middle East and Antioch, the cardinal of the Catholic Church Bchara Boutros Al Rahi.
During the meetings, General Portolano thanked for the support received from religious leaders and local communities, a factor of primary importance for the success of the mission and the maintenance of peace and stability in the area of responsibility of UNIFIL. In particular, General Portolano, on the sidelines of the meetings, stressed that "the religious authorities play a fundamental role in the development of a civil coexistence of the various confessions and, therefore, in building a stable and lasting peace throughout the country" .
Finally, the UNIFIL commander expressed his deep satisfaction with the words of appreciation that the religious leaders addressed for the fruitful work carried out by the UNIFIL UN peacekeepers in effectively contributing to the concrete implementation of the mandate contained in the 1701 resolution of the UN Security Council .
Currently in Lebanon, there are recognized 18 confessions, 4 major religious groups: Christians, Shiites, Sunnis and Druze. The latest certified data date back to the 1932 census, from which 55% Christians and 45% Muslims appeared, including Shiites, Sunnis and Druze in the same group. Today's estimates reflect a trend reversal: the 65% of the population is Muslim (35% Sunni, 23% Sunni, 4% drusi, 3% ismaelites and alauiti) the 35% Christian.
Source: Unifil MPIO, magg. Fabrizio Farese
