LEBANON
Al Arabiya

Octavia Nasr

His was the first Catholic sermon I could assimilate and the first communion I received. We learned his Christian hymns by heart as Jesuit nuns played them on portable turntables over and over in catechism class. I am one of thousands who grew up on the multifaceted teachings of a young man named Mansour Labaki.

Since those early times, from a distance I have observed many of his outreach programs, especially those to help and support orphaned children. For me, his achievements, at so many levels, have surpassed what the church itself has shown towards the less fortunate.

Whether he did or did not do what he is allegedly accused of, his name will forever be tarnished with this news.

This makes the Labaki “scandal” a matter of deep concern as we condemn pedophilia as an inexcusable crime but we also denounce framing someone…