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In Lebanon, Monastery Brings Together Christians Scattered by War

Reuters

   QOZHAYA, LEBANON - The last time Samuel Botros stepped into the
   Lebanese monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya was in 1978. He was 24,
   newly married, and the country was in the grip of an all-out war. Like
   many of his generation, he left. It took him 41 years to return.

   The 1975-90 civil war may be over in Lebanon, but conflicts in nearby
   countries like Iraq and Syria have devastated entire communities where
   Christians once lived alongside Muslims. That has triggered an exodus
   among people of both faiths, especially among minority sects -- like
   Botros' Syriac Orthodox community whose roots are in early
   Christianity.

   The monastery, which is nestled in a remote valley in the northern
   Lebanese mountains and dates from the fourth century, is a meeting
   place for Christians who have fled conflict.

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