The bishops of the Maronite Catholic Church have voiced concern that Lebanon could become the battleground for “proxy wars” by other countries, adding that such conflicts should not be misunderstood as “internal conflicts” within Lebanon.

The bishops’ statement came after a monthly meeting in Bkerke, which was attended by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, in a show of the Vatican’s keen concern over Lebanon’s unrest.