Lebanon is a nation of 4 million that has welcomed 2 million refugees, most of whom are Muslim, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, the Patriarch of the Maronite Church, said in a recent talk.

Lebanon, he explained, was “created to deal with Christians and Muslims on an equal basis. Half is supposed to be Christian and half Muslim.” But now, despite generally good relations with Muslim leaders, “the whole way of life of the Lebanese state, of the Lebanese situation, has gone berserk.”